


The Blacktop’s Paved With Pines (because they pine. a lot)

by Riley_Sivertsen



Series: The Blacktop’s Paved With Pines [2]
Category: Archive 81 (Podcast), Left of the Dial
Genre: Alternate Canon, Beings of Static and Teeth Can Pine Too, Canon Compliant, Emotionally Repressed, Feelings Realization, Found Family, Friends to Lovers, Idiots in Love, Longing for the person right next to you, M/M, Mutual Pining, Nicholas Uses A Cool Cane, Nicholas Waters has ADHD, POV Alternating, Personal Growth, Protective Nicholas Waters, Protective Static Man, Road Trips, canon typical dude-bro language, canon typical overuse of ..., chronical magical injury, no beta we die like sacrificial goats, you think i'm kidding but the transcripts has a lot of ellipses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-17
Updated: 2020-09-17
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:29:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 39,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26447839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Riley_Sivertsen/pseuds/Riley_Sivertsen
Summary: Things are mostly the same.Except rather than a man and an eldritch form made of static and teeth going on various adventures, this version tells that story - but about two beings falling in love.Part 1 - Static Man and Nicholas in Season 3Part 2 - Left of the Dial
Relationships: Static Man/Nicholas Waters
Series: The Blacktop’s Paved With Pines [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1922401
Comments: 14
Kudos: 19





	1. 01

**Author's Note:**

> Large pieces of dialogue are taken directly from transcripts and I in no way claim to have come up with that awesomeness. My bits are them slowly falling in love and then realizing they've fallen in love, because… Well, because why be self indulgent if it’s not gonna be on brand?
> 
> **the remaining few chapters will come after NaNoWriMo!**

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicholas and Static Man set out on a mission to get Static Man a body.
> 
> Just two buddies on a road trip together, both secretly pining for the other but neither of them willing to admit it. What could possibly go wrong?
> 
> ...all the same things as canon, just with more Fluff and Pining.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Against my own nature, I got so excited to just get this thing posted that I did NOT do a final read-through of the whope chapter before I put it up, so there will probably be more small mistakes and stuff than I normally allow x) Maybe I will come back and edit it better later, but right now I just got excited and impatient, ok?! Hope you enjoy!

Static Man sat in the passenger seat of a very old, very ugly car, and he watched Nicholas struggle with the key and the ignition. Apparently this very old car was being uncooperative. The engine kept revving an sputtering and Nicholas already looked stressed. Hell, even his stupid moustache looked tired.

“Yo, dude, is this gonna work?” Static Man asked after the fourth failed attempt to start the car. “’Cause, like –”

“It’ll work,” Nicholas said confidently, though he still glared at the ignition like it had brought dishonour on his name or something. But he twisted the key, the engine revving one more time until finally it seemed to catch, and the engine surged to life.

“Hell _yeah_ , man! Listen to that baby purr! Is that what people say about cars? Anyway, love it!”

Nicholas breathed out a sigh of either relief or annoyance, or possibly both, and straightened up in his seat. “Alright. Alright, checklist.”

He extracted said checklist from his pocket, and Static Man wondered – not for the first time – how someone as intelligent as Nicholas and with such an annoyingly good memory still chose to use checklists. They had worked together for over two years and it still surprised him how thorough Nicholas could be.

“Don’t you have this memorized, Nicholas?” he couldn’t help but tease. “Like, you came up with it.”

“And yet, I’m still cautions,” he replied dryly. “Who would have guessed? Alright, we’re in a four-door car that was made in Detroit between the years of 1971 and 1975.”

There was a moment of silence before Static Man noticed Nicholas looking at him expectantly. “Oh shit, you want me to respond? Yes, yeah, uh, 1972 Plymouth Road Runner. No idea whether that’s cool or not because I don’t know shit about cars!”

Nicholas nodded. “The fuel tank contains a mixture that is twelve parts gasoline and one part blood.”

“Yeah, man,” Static Man confirmed. “Saw you bleed myself.”

It had been disgusting and not a little bit frustrating. He hated that Nicholas had to use his own blood for everything that required it. It wasn’t like Static Man had any blood of his own to offer because, you know. He had none. And he didn’t much like watching Nicholas casually slice himself open, seemingly unconcerned.

“In the backseat, there is a vintage Skelly Oil highway map with all the towns crossed out in black marker,” Nicholas continued.

“Yeah, dude. Shout-out to EBay!”

“The glove compartment is filled with discarded wrappers from no less than four fast food establishments and the car radio has been anointed with the viscera of road kill.”

“Yeah and yeah,” Static Man confirmed. “We also have snacks and water and shit in the back, but that’s…not ritual-related. You want me to list the fast food places?”

“That should be unnecessary,” Nicholas said and sighed. He already sounded exhausted and they weren’t even driving yet. His fingers kept drumming on the steering wheel. He didn’t look nervous, exactly, but Static Man knew that’s what it was. Nicholas was putting a lot of pressure on himself to make sure this whole endeavour worked.

“And the recorder’s working fine?” Static Man asked.

“You exist, so yes, it appears to be working."

“No, like, I know that, but you know – will it work once we cross over? ‘Cause, like-”

“It should work,” Nicholas cut off his nervous rambling. “It stands to reason.”

“Dude, like, I don’t really want to hear _should_ and _stands to reason_ , you know?” Static Man was just a tad sensitive about the whole existing-thing.

Nicholas looked at him, eyes blue and steady. “Are you getting cold feet?”

For a moment, the only sound around them was the hum of the engine. Static Man didn’t want to admit that this was worth the risk for him, and his only hesitation was that this could get really freaking dangerous and there was a non-zero percent chance Nicholas wouldn’t keep being as lucky as he had.

Except, he knew it hadn’t really been luck that had gotten them this far. Nicholas knew what he was doing. They made a good team.

_We’ve got this,_ Static Man tried to convince himself.

“No,” he finally replied. “No dude, I want this. I…just…I want this to work out, you know? I want to live in an _actual_ body, not in a weird staticy, teethy…whatever it is I actually am.”

“I’m aware,” Nicholas said with a sad sigh. “I sympathize. I have made modifications to the recorder, inspired by the time it was attached to my arm. The recording should be continuous, though…” he trailed off.

“What?” Static Man asked. “I don’t like that pause, dude.”

“It seems the recordings will be transmitting somewhere. Unavoidable if we want to make sure you continue existing.”

“You know I am a fan of continuing to exist.”

“I guessed. As am I. Last time these recordings were transmitted directly to one Daniel Powell, whereas now they’ll be transmitting to…gods know where. Some CB radio hobbyist or, who knows. I can’t quite be sure.”

“Magic shit,” Static Man said. “I know.”

“It’s complex,” Nicholas agreed. “Nevertheless, there shouldn’t be any pauses in your existence. I’m…sure of that.”

Static Man knew Nicholas wouldn’t say it unless he meant it. “Ok, dude. I trust you.” Trust had been the one thing that had never changed between them in the time they’d known each other. Whenever they disagreed or argued, Static Man still knew on some deep, fundamental level that he could trust Nick, no matter how terrifying and weird that feeling was.

“So,” he said. “What now?”

“Alright, now, we turn the radio on,” Nicholas said, voice taking on that business-tone he used when he felt confident in his actions. He turned on the radio, and a subtle magical static flittered from the speakers, barely audible. “And I start driving.”

And with that, the car started moving – in circles around the parking garage, but moving nonetheless.

“I’m sure I don’t need to remind you that you’re not to touch the radio dial, correct?” Nicholas asked, and Static Man would have rolled his eyes if he had them.

“Yeah, dude,” he said, and adjusted his voice to sound exactly like Nicholas when he quoted, “ _it’s the entire crux of the ritual_!”

Static Man could tell Nicholas was schooling his expression to stay serious and not laugh, and he thoroughly enjoyed that he could tell that he _would_ have smiled if he wasn’t so damn stubborn.

“Well, yes. It is.”

They drove around and around in silence for a bit until Static Man got restless. “So, when are we going to be picking stations up?” he asked. “Because, like, it looks to me like we’re still driving around a friggin’ Long Island parking garage.”

“Just…wait,” Nicholas said calmly, and sure enough, slowly the static from the radio started to change, it got…weirder. And then a bass riff started playing.

“Oh, dude!” Finally, something was happening.

“Yeah, probably best to keep focused on the song,” Nicholas said. “Let’s drive.”

The music on the radio picked up a notch, and they just listened while they moved in circles until the car windows started to change, twisting just a little and changing colours.

“Dude, trees are _not_ supposed to be that colour,” Static Man pointed out, instead of mentioning how there were not normally trees inside parking garages.

“I don’t believe those are trees.”

Static Man squinted closer at the shapes. “Shit.”

His not-eyes couldn’t make out exactly what was going on outside the car windows, but it sure as shit wasn’t normal. It was weird as hell, which made him both very nervous and very eager for this thing to get started properly.

“Static Man, if you could stop vibrating?” Nicholas asked. “It’s not helping.”

“Dude, I’m not doing anything! It’s just –”

“Ah,” Nicholas interrupted him. “I see it now.”

Static Man decided to focus on the music, which kept getting more strange and twisted right along the world outside. For a few seconds, the weirdness sorta upped its game until everything faded for a few seconds…and faded back in, leaving them with just the baseline of the song playing steady and slow. Outside the windshield was… Well, it wasn’t a parking garage, that was for damn sure.

Holy shit. They did it. Nicholas actually did it.

“You, are we–”

“Yes,” Nicholas replied, a little wonder seeped into his calm voice. “I believe so.”

“Man. That was…really freaking weird,” Static Man pointed out.

“Did you expect anything less?”

“Nah, just…still fucked up.” Which summed up most of their life. Static Man looked around, scouting the scene outside all the car windows. “So, we seeing the same thing?”

“Long stretch of highway, mesas jutting out at odd, unearthly angles?”

“Yeah,” Static Man agreed. “Like fucked up New Mexico.”

For a while, they just kept driving in silence along the long stretch of road while the music played from the radio. They tried not to look too closely at what was going on around them, just in case. Still, Static Man was extremely curious and putting safety first was a genuine challenge.

“So…the radio?” Static Man asked.

“Don’t. Touch it,” Nicholas said, like he was talking to a five-year-old without impulse control. Which, okay fair.

“Dude, I wasn’t going to. I was just wondering what’s going to play next.”

“I believe the song is wrapping up,” Nicholas pointed out, and they both listened intently to hear what this new place was gonna throw at them.

The song _did_ wrap up: it gave way to the voice of a creepy radio announcer introducing that up next they would get the pleasure of listening to thirty-five minutes of radiator sounds from the Cleveland St. Mercy hospital in 1984. Which the radio then proceeded to play, interspersed with radio static and weird-ass advertisements.

Once the radio went back to scanning for channels, Static Man got too bored with the silence again.

“So is there any, like, reason to what we’re listening to?” he asked. “Like, are you going to order me to fight a giant mecha version of a Cleveland radiator? I don’t remember that being part of the friggin’ vassal relationship or whatever.”

He made sure to laugh as he said it, but hard as he tried not to, he still noticed Nicholas wince at the word. He did that every time Static Man mentioned the vassal thing. He couldn’t really blame the guy; he had been so opposed to it, they had argued over it for several hours straight. Like, legit shouting was involved.

That had probably been the biggest fight they’d ever had. Nicholas _knew_ , intellectually, that being esoterically bound together like that was their best way to stay safe while did all the dangerous shit they had to do, but he had still been so fucking reluctant. He didn’t want Static Man to be forced to work along side him, to be reduced to some lesser side-kick who had to serve him like a master and follow his every order. Nicholas had expressed such disgust at the idea at first that, honestly?

It had made Static Man love him a little extra hard. Even if he would never say that out loud.

In the end, though, reason and practicality had finally succeeded in winning Nicholas over, and he had agreed to do the ritual. That didn’t mean he liked it any better.

“I…don’t believe you’ll be fighting a mecha,” Nicholas said eventually, and he sounded just a little less tense. Static Man considered that a success, and happily took the opportunity to laugh into a listing of all his favourite animes, if for no other reason than to keep that amused expression on Nicholas’s face as he humoured Static Man’s insistence that he was not, in fact, a big-ass nerd.

“I don’t exactly know what you’re talking about,” Nicholas said, “but I don’t believe we’ll have to fight a giant radiator. The body ritual, when I put it together, it’s about purification. Unsurprisingly. Difficult to put into words beyond that, though.”

“Yeah,” Static Man agreed. “Ok. Whatever it takes. And you’ve never watched _any_ –”

His words were cut off by a loud static that seemed to explode from the radio, along with the faintest sound of words from a whispering woman.

“ _You won’t claim him,_ ” she whispered, barely audible. _“You won’t take my beautiful boy away from me_.”

Nicholas’ entire body tensed at the sound and he stared at the radio in shock. “That was… That was _her_.” He looked and sounded like he’d seen a ghost. Or a nightmare.

“Who are you talking about?” Static Man asked as the radio returned to the sound of scanning for channels.

“Did you not hear that?” Nicholas asked, panic tinting his words.

“Yo, dude, I mean, I heard some whispers but –”

“That was my _mother_ ,” Nicholas said urgently. “That was my mother. Or her voice; it sounded exactly like her.”

Oh, Static Man did _not_ like the sound of that, not at all. Way too suspicious. And he definitely didn’t like the look on Nicholas’s face, like he was using every ounce of reason in him to fight against hope that wanted to creep in.

“Nicholas,” Static Man tried softly. “That’s…Yo, you should really be watching the road.” Because Nicholas was definitely looking more towards the radio than he was the window.

“No, that was my mother!” Nicholas was very much not watching the road. “Why did the radio play my mother’s voice? And what was she –”

“Dude, dude, seriously! Watch out!” Static Man shouted and Nicholas snapped back to himself and swerved the car into the wrong lane and slammed the car to a screeching halt just a few seconds too late – they hit something. Even without a body, Static Man thunked back in his seat.

In the silence of the stopped car, both of them panted heavily as the static from the radio kept humming without interference.

Nicholas turned off the ignition.

“Is it…cool to turn off the car?” Static Man asked carefully. “Ritually speaking, I mean.”

“Yes,” Nicholas said quietly.

“Did you see what we hit, because I didn’t get a good look at–”

“No.” He sounded pretty shook up. Static Man worked very hard to keep himself from shouting and screaming about crashing the car.

“Do you want to go out and check, or –”

“I don’t know!” Nicholas shouted, clutching the wheel so hard his knuckles were white, clearly still reeling from his mo’s voice. Static Man didn’t want to make it worse, but he was really fucking mad at Nicholas for putting himself in danger like he had.

“Ok, ok, dude. I’m gonna go out and check, come with me or don’t,” he snapped.

He got out and slammed the car door shut, cutting off Nicholas’s answer. He felt a little bad about it but fuck, he couldn’t get the image of Nicholas smeared across the windshield out of his head.

Nicholas followed him out of the car and looked down at the same thing Static Man looked at. A broken little thing lying in front of the car. He wasn’t sure what it was, but it hadn’t taken well to getting hit by a car.

“Oh, gods.” Nicholas stared down at it with wide, sad eyes. “Do you know…Do you have any idea what that creature is?”

“Not a clue, my man. Not a friggin’ clue. Looks like kind of a rabbit. With antlers, I guess?”

“And the glowing…” Nicholas trailed off.

“Yeah, its tail looks hella weird.”

Nicholas swallowed audibly. “Is it…”

“Yeah, you can kind of hear its breathing,” Static Man said quickly.

Nicholas moved closer as the thing’s gasping breaths grew louder. It took him a moment longer than usual to pretend this wasn’t getting to him too much, but Static Man knew better.

“Oh, gods…”

“Dude, it’s not your fault, at all,” Static Man hurried to say. “Like, this bugs bunny over here was _fast_. No way you could’ve swerved in time.

Nicholas’s eyes stayed fixed on the shuddering little body. “Thank you, but…I should put it out of its misery.”

Shit. Nicholas had already hated taking the life of anything _before_ he killed his father to stop him from eating his heart. Static Man had heard the story of how he got his leg all screwed up, which, despite it resulting in Nicholas using a badass cane, was still some pretty horrific trauma. Static Man didn’t like the idea of that guilt and shit resurfacing.

“You sure?” he asked carefully. “I can kill it for you, if you want. I’m sworn to you an shit so it’s –” he cut himself off because that was _absolutely_ the wrong thing to remind Nicholas of right now.

The miserable little creature on the ground started emitting a strange sound along with its weak breathing.

“Wait, what is it –” Nicholas started before he stopped to listen. The sound that came from the animal sounded almost like a strange, otherworldly song, full of mourning and pain.

“Damn, dude,” Static Man managed. “Should we…”

“Just wait.” Nicholas kept staring and listening as the creature’s song grew more strained, until it became nothing but a pathetic little sound that gave way to pained gasps and choking.

Nicholas drew a deep breath. “Alright. I’ll take care of it.”

He knelt down and reached for the animal, and Static Man pretended not to see the way his hands already trembled. He wouldn’t be able to talk Nicholas out of it no matter how much the guy would hate himself for this later. Still, Static Man really wanted to comfort him somehow, to rest a non-hand on his shoulder or _something_ , but he wasn’t sure if it would be well received.

The snapping of the creature’s neck cut off its pained sounds.

“Shit,” Static Man muttered. “I…You did the right thing.”

Nicholas stood, wiping his hands on the handkerchief he kept in his pocket. “Are you sure?” he asked weakly.

“I mean,” Static Man said. “Let’s say yes.”

His voice was softer when he spoke again. “Thank you, Static Man.”

That tone meant that somehow his dumb joke had helped, and that would just have to be enough for the moment. Tension still hovered around them like a thick blanket.

Static Man hesitated for just a second before he asked. “Did you really hear your mom’s voice over the radio?”

“I…believe so?” He didn’t sound like he knew the right answer. “Let’s get back in the car.”

And they did, wordlessly opening and closing their car doors, taking a moment to just sit there and stare out the windshield.

“So, we didn’t just fuck ourselves by getting out of the car, right?” Static Man asked, mostly just to break the silence, since he knew Nicholas would have said something if that was true. “Like, the ritual is still –”

“The ritual will still work,” Nicholas replied as expected, almost successfully hiding how shook up he still was. “We can get out of the car anytime, but we only progress by driving and listening to the radio.”

“Cool,” Static Man allowed the faux casual tone. “And you’re sure, ‘cause, like –”

“I’m sure.”

That’s all he needed, in case he still had any doubts. He had seen Nicholas doubt a lot of things about himself, but neither of them could doubt his abilities. So, he did them both a favor and changed the subject and babbled about the snacks in the back seat, asking if Nicholas wanted any.

“I’m fine,” he replied tiredly, and turned the key in the ignition. The radio cackled to life. “Let’s get going.

“Fine by me,” Static Man said, but he still felt the tension from before, felt just a little guilty for snapping and someone who’d rightly been shocked to hear their dead mother’s voice on the magic radio, so for just a second, he swallowed his pride and tried to convey something genuine, instead of just a distraction.

“And thanks,” he said awkwardly. “For doing this body ritual…For everything. I…I really appreciate it, man.

Static Man wished he could express just exactly how _much_ he appreciated Nicholas and what this all meant to him. Hell, there were about a thousand things he wished he knew how to say to Nicholas, but all his powers still didn’t stop him from being a coward.

Besides, he didn’t even have a _body_ , and this whole thing might not even end up working out and even if it _did,_ there was nothing to say that Nicholas even returned his feelings – hell, Static Man wasn’t even sure Nicholas even experienced romantic feelings that way and –

_Stop freaking out,_ he ordered himself. Freaking out and over thinking didn’t do shit about anything. He just had to let his words be what they were and hope Nicholas understood how much he meant it.

“Of course,” Nicholas said, trying not to sound shy at the praise. “Happy to help.”

*****

They had been on the road for hours now, and the radio wasn’t exactly getting any less disturbing. Currently it was running some mildly horrific advertisement about Drike-Menendez dentistry, and Nicholas vaguely wondered if that was because of Static Man’s tooth-heavy body.

Maybe targeted advertisements were also a thing in mystical dimensions.

“Yo,” Static Man asked. “Are you 100 percent certain we can’t change the radio station?”

“Yes,” Nicholas replied. “Unfortunately.”

“Shit,” Static Man said, and Nicholas couldn’t help but agree. The advertisement continued, reminding Nicholas of why he was afraid of the dentist as a child, until it was interrupted suddenly by a strange, emphatically magical static sound, louder than anything they had heard so far.

“What the hell is –”

“ _You’re not wanted here,_ ” came a gruff voice from the radio. _“Do you copy?”_

Nicholas and Static Man exchanged glance with non-glance. “Yo, who is that, what are they–”

“Quiet,” Nicholas instructed before he could finish asking. The silence hung there for about two seconds.

_“I said, do you copy?”_

They both remained silent.

_“I know you’re out there. I can hear you. The sounds you make in your car. The static and the breaths. You two gonna talk to me?”_

Well, that was less than ideal.

_“That’s fine,”_ the voice continued when they didn’t answer. It was a rough and grumbling voice, distinctly uninviting. _“I can wait. This road stretches into the distance, and I’ve got nothin’ but time.”_

Nicholas stayed quiet, carefully processing each word.

_“We’re gonna have this conversation eventually. You know we are; just the way this’ll go down. You want to be polite and introduce yourselves?”_

Nicholas still hesitated and thought. He knew he would be wearing the expression that Static Man referred to as his “calculating face”, as he decided how to proceed. He was certain the voice was right – someone this determined would eventually succeed in having the conversation he desired. Nicholas didn’t appreciate being threatened, though, not when they had just started, not when Static Man getting a body was still a fairly distant goal – a goal that nothing would stop him from achieving.

But _polite_ had always been a watchword of sorts for Nicholas. His mother had taught him from a young age that when he was having difficulty relating to people, or struggling to find the right way to communicate when he felt out of place, it was a good idea to fall back on common decency, on standard rules of politeness that he could easily memorize.

It had helped him in social situations his whole life. Now wasn’t the time to abandon it. He signed to himself, feeling like this somehow admitted defeat.

“My name’s Nicholas,” he said conversely. “And this is Static Man.”

“Yeah, uh, hey dude.”

_“Good, you can listen. Eventually.”_

“Happy to oblige,” Nicholas said dryly. “Now, what should we call you?”

_“Names don’t mean much to me anymore, Nicholas.”_ The voice said his name like it was poison on his tongue. “ _But you can call me Trucker, if it helps.”_

Static Man loudly snorted at the name, which almost made Nicholas smile.

“Trucker,” he greeted. “Lovely. Now, to what do we owe the pleasure of this conversation?” He had never had much patience for the kind of posturing Trucker was going for, and wanted to get this over with.

_“Straight to the point. Good. Let’s make this simple. Turn off your radio, make a uwee, and go back home. Fast as you can.”_

Static Man snorted a laugh. “Seriously?”

“I’m afraid we’re not going to do that, _Trucker,_ ” Nicholas sneered. “We’ve come to this place in order to accomplish a goal, and we are not going to leave until we do so.”

“Hell yeah,” Static Man echoed. “Plus, like, we don’t want to lose a random limb, right?”

“There are some unfortunate consequences to failing this ritual, yes,” Nicholas said towards the radio. “I’m sure you understand.”

_“Limbs are overrated.”_

“I disagree.” Nicholas already had one leg that was mangled and constantly in pain, yet most days he was still pretty grateful it was still there. He was certain most people wouldn’t let something like that hold them back, but Nicholas didn’t have enough patience to make him want to try.

_“Hmmmm. Well, I had to give diplomacy a shot, didn’t I?”_ The Trucker sighed. _“Trouble is, if you don’t leave the Blacktop, I’m going to find you. Might take a little bit, but I’m patient. And when I do find you…I’m going to run you two down.”_

Nicholas was seething at this point, but he did his best to not let him control him. He hated being threatened like this, but losing his temper wouldn’t help the situation.

“I’m sure we’ll manage,” he said with practiced ease.

_“You think that? Because I hear you two. I know you.”_ The anger in the Trucker’s voice kept rising with each word, dripping with resentment _. “A conquering sorcerer. A man made out of static and teeth. Your every tire mark is an infection on this land. Your hearts are full of desire and your thoughts are full of plunder. You may call yourselves explorers, but this is not a virgin territory. It never is. You will warp everything you touch, Nicholas, like your father did before you.”_

Nicholas’s hands gripped the wheal tighter and his breathing became painful at being compared to his father. The man he resented the most. His breathing grew more strained just at the mentioned of him, and Nicholas hated himself for his weakness. He was past allowing the thought of his father to control him. At least, he desperately wanted to be.

What made it possible to keep his breath even was the feeling of Static Man beside him, crackling with fury directed at the Trucker, and Nicholas knew that anger was there because Static Man _knew_ what that comment did to him, and that made Nicholas feel…Well, it made him feel a lot of things.

_“And I will see your bodies crushed beneath my wheels,”_ the Trucker continued, “ _before I let you despoil the Blacktop any further. You copy?”_

“Uhhh… 10-4, good buddy,” Static Man said, and laughed with the kind of mirth that only he could manage. “Sorry, couldn’t resist. Did I say it right?”

“I believe so,” Nicholas said, grinning despite it all. “But then again, I haven’t seen Smokey and the Bandit, so I couldn’t be sure.”

“Yeah, anyway, sorry, Mr. Trucker or whoever you are,” Static Man said to the radio, all mocking mirth where Nicholas had been controlled anger. “Nicholas and I are here for a goddamn important reason, and if you’re not cool with that, well… Go fuck yourself, I guess? Sorry to be all crude, but, yo, we’ve _dealt_ with menacing shit, and I am totally fine with turning you into a thin paste of gore and bone if you try to mess with us.”

Nicholas couldn’t help but smile at Static Man’s confidence, but it was wiped off his face instantly by the Trucker’s next words.

“ _Nicholas, does your vassal speak for you?”_

He felt like he’d been punched in the stomach, just like every time he heard that word. _Vassal._ He hated it. He didn’t want it, didn’t want any part of it. Logic and practicality had convinced him to go through with it, but that didn’t make him feel any less despicable and gross.

He couldn’t stand having willingly claimed supernatural power over the man he… Over his best friend.

“Yes,” Nicholas said, fighting to keep his voice even. “He speaks for me.” He forced a deep breath. “Though I can promise to keep my interactions in this world to a minimum, if you would like. We’re really only here for one thing. We needn’t be in conflict.”

The Trucker practically growled on the radio. _“No, Nicholas, you’re your father’s son. Can’t really look past that, can I? And you’re going to infect this place no matter what you think. It’s the way your heart is set. All the little decisions you don’t even_ think _about that’ll add up to something poisonous. Well… We’re just going to have to see how this all plays out now, won’t we? …Over and out.”_

The static grew louder and strange and Nicholas swallowed the bile in his throat at the Trucker’s words, and then the radio returned to shouting merrily at them about teeth for a moment before the scanning for channels faded back in.

“Yo, dude,” Static Man said after a moment of stunned silence. “What the hell was that?”

“I’m…not sure,” Nicholas admitted. “But you didn’t expect this to be easy, did you?”

He tried to keep his tone light, he really did, but that kind of pretending really wasn’t his strong suit – even Nicholas could tell that it didn’t work.

“I mean…It’d be nice if it was,” Static Man said, doing much better at faking lightness. “Just for once. Good change of pace.” He trailed off, and so did his lightness. “So…your dad was here, too? You didn’t tell me that.”

Nicholas swallowed, wishing he could get out of this car, whishing he could do something self-destructive to turn off the way he felt right now, the way just the reminder of his father’s existence hurt and tore at places inside him that he usually pretended didn’t exist.

“No,” Nicholas managed to say eventually. “No, I didn’t. Let’s keep driving.”

Nicholas focused on keeping both eyes on the road, but he could _feel_ Static Man looking at him, and it gnawed at his guilt. He didn’t want to give Static Man more things to worry about because he knew he had enough of that already, no matter how much he tried not to let it show. But over the past few years, Nicholas had gotten pretty great at reading the stating and teeth equivalent of body language – better than he read most actual body language.

Right now, though, Static Man didn’t ask any further questions, he didn’t push, and Nicholas was grateful for that. He was always grateful when Static Man pretended not to notice the shame that Nicholas couldn’t even begin to talk about.

For now, they just kept driving.

*****

After driving long enough for them both to get bored, they started chatting. Static Man wouldn’t admit it out loud, but he loved when they got to just ramble about random shit like this. It was the closest to normal he’d gotten since he became static, and being chill like that with Nicholas was somehow better than he ever remembered it being when he had a body.

“If I had to guess, I would say four years,” Nicholas said in reply to Static Man’s question, and he would have looked horrified if he had a face.

“Four years!” he exclaimed. “That’s cray-cray, dude.”

“Perhaps five?”

Oh, that helped. “Dude, I have no clue why I’m trusting you to drive this car.”

“Could a car crash even hurt you?” Nicholas asked. “Based on how your body is made up?”

Static Man threw Nicholas a non-glare, because _obviously_ Nicholas would ask that instead of realizing he was, in fact, concerned about the very _human_ person who was _slightly more breakable_ and could in fact get hurt in a crash.

“I mean…that’s not the point, Nicholas! How do _you_ go five years without driving a car?”

“I’ve been living in the city,” Nicholas shrugged. “I genuinely don’t know anyone who drives a car in New York. Unless you’re driving to Storm King for a two-year dating anniversary, but…”

“Zipcar’s a thing, man!” Static Man admonished. “Just…keep your eyes on the road, ok?”

“I wasn’t planning on intentionally crashing,” Nicholas said dryly.

“Fine, fine,” Static Man let it drop just in time to notice a change of topic. “Yo, is your recorder light green again?”

“Ah, yes! It appears to be.”

“DUDE, _eyes_ on the _road_!”

Nicholas gave a longsuffering sigh.

“But yeah, why _did_ the light turn green again?” Static Man asked. “I mean, it wasn’t like I stopped existing. Wait, is there something about this place, can I exist without being recorded? Because –”

“No,” Nicholas interrupted kindly, before he could get his hopes up. “You still only exist while being recorded. Which is why the recorder is always on.”

“So…?”

“This ritual is a…modification of one of my father’s. The radio is the crux of it, and it’s necessary to constantly record for you to–”

“Exist, yeah, I know,” Static Man said. Like he could forget.

“But…it might not always be transmitting,” Nicholas said. “In fact, I’m fairly certain it doesn’t.”

“And you still have no idea who it’s transmitting _to_?”

“None,” Nicholas replied. “Stories have a mind of their own, but it’s–”

“Important for the ritual,” Static Man finished. “Yeah, man, if I took a drink every time you said that, I’d–”

“In short, it’s always recording, but the green light turns on when it’s broadcasting.”

It was mildly unnerving not to know who could be listening, but honestly, it was not remotely the freakiest thing they had going on at the moment.

“Well…cool,” Static Man said. “You hungry? ‘Cause I’ve been eating the hell out of these snacks and you’ve hardly touched ‘em. It isn’t a road trip if your hands aren’t covered in cheeto dust, dude.”

Was what he _said_ , but really he knew that Nicholas would probably just _forget_ to feed himself if he wasn’t forced. It had happened before.

“I’m alright, thanks for offering.”

Static Man sighed internally. He’d try again later. “More for me.”

He grabbed as many snacks from the back as he could fit in his non-lap and devoured them as messily as he could, just for the fun of it.

“Yo,” he said afterwards, “I get that the radio is super important. Purifying us, or whatever. But, like, half of not going cuckoo while driving is choosing your own tunes.” He paused for a sec. “Though this song isn’t half bad.”

“It’s certainly better than that dentist ad,” Nicholas agreed. “Hm. If you could choose, what songs would you play?”

Maybe he was being lame, but Static Man couldn’t help but feel a wave of happiness when Nicholas asked him a question like that. He knew Nicholas wouldn’t bother asking something like that if it wasn’t someone whose answer he legitimately cared about and that…well, that was a thought that did things to Static Man’s teeth.

“Oh, dude, don’t get me started, I’ve got a go-to road trip playlist. So, you start off with Iggy Pop’s The Passenger, right?”

He continued to list his entire playlist and going on tangents about each and every one and what exactly made them perfect for a road trip. Once he finished, they once again lapsed into comfortable silence, listening to the creepy shit and random static from the radio.

“Let me know when you need to stretch your proverbial legs, ok?” Nicholas said at some point.

“Will do,” he replied, because that was another thing Nicholas would just ignore – stopping and stretching even though his bad leg was probably really freaking sore from all the sitting still and driving. It wouldn’t occur to Mr. Sorcerer to stop just for his own sake.

A while later, and not a moment too soon, Static Man perked up significantly at the sign he saw on the side of the road.

“Yo, did you see that?”

“The sign?” Nicholas asked.

“Yeah, dude, the sign! And the friggin restaurant right by it? Pull over!”

“I don’t think–”

“Dude, I haven’t pissed in _forever_.”

“Wait, is that something you need to do…?”

“Not exactly, just, pull over.” Not at all, actually, but if lying would get Nicholas to stop and fucking feed himself, then he was not above that.

“Alright, alright!” Nicholas caved, to Static Man’s delight. They pulled over and parked the car, both of them stepping out. Static Man noticed Nicholas leaning very heavily on his cane, but figured it was best not to comment.

“Moody’s Family Friendly Diner and Eatery,” Static Man read. “Eatery is a weird as hell word, but it’s better than nothing.”

“It’s the first structure we’ve come across,” Nicholas pointed out. “Besides the glowing…”

“Whatever the hell those houses were? Yeah. And you haven’t eaten in forever. And I’m pretty hungry.”

That was a blatant lie designed to get Nicholas to fucking eat something, and he was pretty sure Nicholas knew that – which made it very satisfying that he agreed to come inside without argument.

“I don’t see the harm. I’m not sure how the Trucker is looking for us, but a small stop shouldn’t affect it either way.”

“Come on.” Static Man led the way through the doors of the diner. They stopped and looked around. Shitty muzak played from the jukebox, and the interior design of the place as, well…

“Shit. It’s like looking at the LSD trip of one of those rockabilly assholes.”

“Do you see anyone here? Oh.” Nicholas said, just as a waitress came walking towards them, seemingly out of nowhere. She wore a customer service smile and sounded like she carried the boredom of everyone who had ever worked in customer service, ever.

“Hello and welcome to Moody’s Family Friendly Diner and Eatery, where we promise to treat you like the family we never had. Would you two hepcats like to sit at a table or a booth?”

“Uh, definitely booth,” Static Man replied. No way was he letting Nicholas sit on those hard chairs when his body was already fucked up from the car.

“Then follow me.” The waitress turned on her heels and led them along.

“Uhm, would there happen to be anyone else in this establishment?” Nicholas asked.

“No.”

They sat down in their assigned booth, and, feeling a little brave, Static Man may have placed himself a little bit closer to Nicholas than was strictly necessary for a booth this size.

“Would you two,” the waitress sighed, “hepcats like anything to drink?”

“Water will be fine,” Nicholas said.

“A coke would be dope, if you have it?”

“Is Moody’s Family Friendly cola carbonated beverage OK?” she asked.

Well, it wasn’t like a freaky soda could kill him. Probably. “Yeah, sure.”

“Alright hepcats, why don’t you take a look at your menus while I get you your drinks,” the waitress said dispassionately and walked off.

The two of them flipped through their menus. Static Man was determined to have Nicholas eat something or they were _not_ leaving this freaky eatery.

“Yo, if I get the fried chicken, will you eat some of my curly fries?” he offered.

“Uh, sure,” Nicholas said absentmindedly. “Static Man, the menu doesn’t list prices, and I’m fairly certain this place won’t accept American currency, perhaps we should–”

“Your drinks,” the waitress announced.

“Damn, that was fast!”

“Uhm, excuse me…” Nicholas looked up at her awkwardly. “Ah, your name tag is scratched out.”

“Yes, yes it is.”

“Well, then…” Nicholas swallowed. “You…Uh, before we order, how are we expected to pay for our meal, if you don’t mind me asking? You see, we’re not exactly from around here.”

“Really. I wouldn’t have guessed.” Her voice practically oozed sarcasm. Static Man couldn’t really blame her.

“Yes,” Nicholas said, undeterred. “I thought we should clear that up before ordering.”

“Don’t worry,” she said and took a deep, frustrated breath as she started reciting something she had obviously repeated about a million times. “This particular Moody’s establishment does not require payment either of currency, memories, hair colour, blood, semen, eggs, emotions, desires or body parts. All we require is the pleasure of your company. Now, what can I get you two hepcats?”

Wow, Static Man would be bored working here, too. “Awesome, so I’m getting the fried chicken platter, with curly fries, and could I get a side of nachos for the table?”

The waitress jotted it down on her pad. “And what would you like…handsome?”

She practically shuddered in horror when she said that, and honestly, Nicholas looked just as uncomfortable as she did. It was hilarious.

“Could I get the Salmon and Avocado Caesar Salad?”

“Get literally whatever you want,” she snapped. “I’ll be right back with your order.”

She walked off.

“So, dude, you think she’s human?” Static Man whispered after she left.

“I’m not sure one way or the other,” Nicholas said quietly. “She appears human, though I assume not, since she’s…here.”

“Well, she gives off a human vibe to me. Smells like people, you know?” Static Man wrinkled his not-nose- “Which is a creepy sentence, but whatever, you see what I’m saying.”

“Yeah.”

“Your order.” The waitress put the plates down in front of them.

Okay, even Static Man had to admit that was a _little_ faster than he was comfortable with, at least if they’d been in the regular world.

“Did you…make this yourself, or is there cook back there, or..?” Nicholas eyed the food like he definitely didn’t trust it.

“Not exactly,” the waitress said unhelpfully.

“Ah,” Nicholas said. “Well, thank you.”

Static Man was already halfway through the nachos. “Yeah, thanks!” he yelled after the retreating waitress. Nicholas was picking at his salad. Time for mission Get Nicholas Fed. “Yo, Nicholas, these fries are giving me _life_ right now. You should grab some before I eat ‘em all.”

Nicholas eyed the fries with slightly less scepticism. “I’ll…try one.”

Static Man chewed his food with delight as Nicholas ate not one, but _two_ of his fries. Better than nothing. He felt his static body literally brighten a little at how happy the sight made him, but he didn’t bother being shy about it. Maybe this’d teach the self-negligent human to freaking eat.

“Can you make heads or tails of this décor?” Nicholas nibbled on his salad and looked around like he was afraid said décor might attack him with great enthusiasm.

“Like I said; visions of a dying rockabilly on LSD.”

“It’s sort of Americana, but I can’t quite put my finger on–”

He stopped and turned when Static Man sighed in satisfaction. “That was really good.”

“Ah, I always forget how fast you eat,” Nicholas said and eyed the now empty plate.

“Yeah, dude, perks of the body I’m in. Easy to devour shit.” Not a perk that exactly made it worth it but what the hell, staying positive. “You don’t mind if I check out the place while you finish your salad?”

Static Man gestured towards the bowl of definitely-not-even-half-eaten leaves and salmon. He might eat a bit more if Static Man wasn’t sitting there staring at him. How Nicholas didn’t get toppled by a soft breeze was beyond him.

“Sure,” Nicholas nodded, and Static Man excitedly got up to stare at the shit on the walls like it was the worlds ugliest museum.

“Yo, what’s up with the clock shaped like a cow? It just…it’s Mooo o’clock? That’s not even a pun! Mooo o’clock?”

“I wouldn’t read much into it.” Nicholas sounded like he was trying not to laugh. At least he was still taking tiny bites of his salad.

“The old road signs are cool, though,” Static Man admitted. “Kind of kitschy, in a John Waters way.”

Nicholas made a noise of polite disinterest, and then Static Man found himself by the jukebox and the world’s potential for awesomeness increased.

“Awwww, hell yeah, it’s a jukebox! There’s even a little, like, mascot or some shit on top. Huh, I don’t recognize any of the songs. “What does the –”

“Don’t touch the jukebox!” the waitress yelled from behind him – just around the time Static Man hit one of the buttons. He turned to find her fuming at him. “ _Why_ did you touch the jukebox?”

“I didn’t know I shouldn’t,” Static Man said apologetically. “Why–”

“What’s going–” Nicholas asked, and they were both cut off by a creepily cheerful voice coming from the jukebox. Or, rather, the little mascot that sat on the jukebox. The voice was choppy and mangled, like the machine was from the 1950s and had never been upgraded.

“Hello to all you hepcats; I hope you’re having a blast! I’m Moody Marvin, and I want to show you a goooooooood time. Did you have a refreshing Moody’s Family Friendly cola carbonated beverage? Good! Now, are you ready to listen to some music and _dance_? You have to dance!”

“You!” the waitress hissed at Nicholas.

He looked at her in confusion. “Uhm, me?”

“ _Yes_ , the one with the actual physical body, get your ass over here!”

Okay, Static Man was not a fan of the urgency in her voice. He’d just fucked up big time, hadn’t he? Oh, whatever happened next he was not looking forward to it.

“Why do I–” Nicholas started, but she cut him off.

“Now!”

Nicholas scrambled out of the booth, leaving his cane behind and limping towards her.

“Listen, we have to dance,” the waitress instructed once he was with her.

_Seriously_?

“I’m…not exactly a dancer,” Nicholas said awkwardly.

“Oh cool, I don’t care,” she replied with all the sympathy in the nowhere.

The freaky clown voice continued from the jukebox. “I hope you’ve got your dance partner; I do love seeing hepcats hold each other close. Rrremember, if I don’t like your dancing, I might get even Mooooodiiiiiieeeer. Hahahaha! Now, let’s listen to a song from wayback. It’s Carlos and the Calendars with… Someone to Hold.”

For fuck’s sake, the creepy clown mascot was gonna eat Nicholas or something if they didn’t dance well enough, wasn’t he? Why the hell did Static Man have to touch the damn jukebox? He barely managed to keep himself from smacking his own non-head against the wall as a 50s-esque song started playing.

“Now dance with me, asshole,” the waitress instructed, putting her hands in their general positions for a waltz. Nicholas looked more uncomfortable than ever when he did the same – like just touching a woman’s back was gonna give him Heterosexual Cooties or something.

“Uh, alright. Just…follow your lead?” Nicholas was actually going red.

“Yeah!” she snapped. “Dance! It’s not a difficult concept.”

“Anything, uhm, I can do?” Static Man asked. He seriously wanted to save Nicholas from his current torment, and, you know, keep him from getting Jukeboxed. “I can fuck with the jukebox, if you’d like?”

“No!” the waitress insisted. “Just, stay out of the way.”

Static Man watched the two humans dance and accepted that he’d just have to stew in his own miserable guilt until the whole thing was over. It didn’t help said guilt that a small part of him kept thinking… This view wasn’t too bad. Nicholas’s bad leg was too stiff to really dance properly, but just staying up and swaying offered a rare, nearly unobstructed view of his full figure. It was rare for Static Man to get an opportunity like this to just…look at him, without Nicholas fidgeting or being self-conscious about it.

Wow, even in potentially mortal danger, he was freaking pining. He felt like a parody of a bad trope, the staticy form too scared to confess his feelings for his best friend.

The song kept playing and the two of them kept dancing.

“Don’t step on my foot,” the waitress hissed.

“Sorry,” Nicholas said quickly. “I don’t normally do this type of thing.”

“Neither do I,” she replied. “But when the mascot tells you to dance, you dance.”

“Understood.”

“Really?” she sounded less than convinced.

“I’m familiar with jumping trough some…esoteric hoops,” Nicholas said vaguely. Probably not the best time to share all their adventures with the nice lady trying not to let Nicholas get dead.

“Whatever,” she mumbled. “Just…concentrate on moving with the music.” A sigh. “God, you have no rhythm.”

Yeah, even from where Static Man hovered, he could see the two of them weren’t exactly moving in sync.

“Do you have to…stand so close?” Nicholas shot back.

“Yes!”

If the situation wasn’t fairly serious, Static Man would be laughing his ass off. Over the waitress’s shoulder, Nicholas was throwing him a sort of desperate, wide-eyed look like he was just too gay to be standing that close to a womanesque being. It was both funny and adorable, and Static Man desperately wanted to rescue him.

Finally, after a short eternity, the song started wrapping up.

“Was that…enough?” Nicholas asked the waitress.

“Let’s goddamn hope it was.”

Moody Marvin’s fragmented voice started up again, and they all held their breaths until… “Let’s see, I looks like the dancing was…adequate! Sorry you didn’t get any prizes, but hey, better luck next time. At least you didn’t…”

The voice got more and more garbled until it faded away entirely.

“Thank god.” The waitress breathed out.

“I’m assuming it would have been…unpleasant, if our dancing wasn’t adequate?” Nicholas asked.

“Let’s say yeah,” she replied with relief.

“Well, good job you two,” Static Man said, trying to break the tension. “Sorry about the–”

“Why the hell did you touch the jukebox?” she asked him, now back to the same bored tone she’d had before this whole dancing thing.

“You didn’t tell me not to!” Static Man tried, not that he really had a defence. “I was just taking a look!”

“I really don’t know what the hell you two are doing here, but just a tip?” she glared from Static Man to Nicholas. “Don’t go touching things at random in the Blacktop. What _are_ you two doing here, by the way?”

“We’re here to complete a ritual,” Nicholas said, more at ease now. “To find an empty body. I’m…fulfilling a promise.”

He glanced towards Static Man with that familiar determination smouldering in his eyes, like he was set on getting him a body even if it was the last thing he ever did. That look have Static Man…a _lot_ of feels.

“Hm. Creepy.” She smiled in that bored way. “I just remembered that I don’t actually _care_ why you’re here. Do you…two hepcats want dessert?” she added like it physically hurt.

“We’ll be fine,” Nicholas said.

“Oh, dude, actually I would –” Static Man started, but Nicholas interrupted.

“We’ll be _fine_ ,” he repeated. “May I ask what _you’re_ doing here?”

The Clerk kept that longsuffering smile on her face. “No.”

Worth a shot. “In that case, if I could get a doggy bag, we should get going.”

“Probably for the best,” she agreed. “Doggy bag’s on the table.”

Nicholas glanced back to their table. “Ah. That it is. Alright, we’ll take our leave.” They grabbed the food and walked towards the door. “Goodbye.”

“Yeah,” Static Man added lamely. He was in kind of a hurry to get outside. “Bye.”

“See you around,” she said unhappily. “And please, whatever you’re doing, get it done quick. I really don’t want to see you again.”

Rude, but fair enough. The bell jangled as they walked out the door and made their way back to the car.

“Dude, you ok?” Static Man blurted out. He’d been dying for an opening to apologize, he felt like an absolute shit. “I’m sorry about touching the jukebox, I really didn’t know, I’ll–”

“I’ll be fine,” Nicholas said quickly. “And no apology necessary. You couldn’t have known.”

Static Man didn’t argue, but he definitely didn’t agree. He could have tried to think about potential consequences for once in his damn existence and not put Nicholas in danger. Still, he didn’t push it as they got in the car, and tried not to melt at the soft way Nicholas had just said that.

“Ready to head out?” he asked instead.

“Yes,” Nicholas agreed. “Definitely.”

And just like that, they were back on the road, with the radio announcer telling them to get ready for some _smooooooth jazz._

“So, you going to finish that salad, or…?” Static Man asked, and like that the leftover tension melted away.

And with that, time passed by, the car kept driving, the radio kept creeping, Static Man was bored out of his damn mind and Nicholas just kept his eyes on the road with an almost frustrating level of focus.

“So we heard the crying, but not AC/DC,” Static Man said in annoyance after the radio allowed them to hear the creepiest of the two options it presented to them. “Cool. What a great radio.”

“Obviously, I don’t need to remind you not to change the stations, correct?” Nicholas said with a kind of tired fondness that made teeth shiver down Static Man’s not-spine.

“Nah, dude, I know, I know,” he replied, trying to ignore the feeling.

Time kept right on passing, and Static Man was so bored that eventually he just had to do something annoying.

“I spy with my little eye, something that begins with…W.”

“Is it a window?” Nicholas guessed. Static Man was delighted that he played along.

“No.”

“…Is it a weird shimmering cloud, simultaneously made up of no colour and every colour at once that seems to shift and retract the more you look at it?”

Static Man chuckled, and allowed himself a rare moment of blatantly staring at Nicholas. “Uh, yeah.” He felt all his teeth grin at the fucking adorable smile Nicholas wore as he watched the road. “Yeah, sorry, dude.”

Shit, his voice was coming out too soft. The sun was lower in the sky and the colours just did really nice things to Nicholas’s dark hair and shitty moustache. But honestly, how was he supposed to look at the guy in this lighting and not have every word out of his mouth be tinged with a background _fuck, I’m in love with you and too scared to say it._

“It’s alright,” Nicholas said with a kind of fond indulgence that did things to Static Man’s teeth. “I’m just a little tired.”

Static Man turned away, forcing himself to stop staring like a creep, and went back to listening to radio static and weird Americana music. Eventually one of the weird songs that played wasn’t quite as freaky as the rest.

“Yo, this is…really good,” Static Man pointed out.

“Yeah,” Nicholas agreed. “Let’s just…listen to it.”

He sounded really tired – too tired to talk, so Static Man gladly took the hint and managed to keep silent until Nicholas initiated conversation again.

He might be bored as hell, but few things were more important than Nicholas’s wellbeing.

*****

It had been a very long day with a _lot_ of driving, and even though Static Man had made them stop a few times so Nicholas could stretch his legs, the bad one still felt stiff and aching. It was getting increasingly difficult to focus. He wasn’t surprised that he couldn’t contain the loud yawn that escaped him.

“Yeah, I’m getting tired too, dude,” Static Man said in response. “And I’m not even driving. I don’t want you swerving all over the road.”

As if on que, they could see the sign for a motel coming up down the road, and while Static Man _sounded_ casual when he pointed it out, Nicholas knew he would probably put up a vicious battle if Nicholas didn’t pull over. He still tried to argue after they’d parked in front of the stereotypical roadside motel.

“We could always just sleep in the car?” Nicholas offered, and he was yawning before he finished the sentence.

“Nah, man, you’ll never get your beauty rest that way. Sleeping sitting up will ill the _hell_ out of your back. Or, that’s what I remember, anyway.” Static Man said it all with such an easy, non-confrontational tone that Nicholas could _almost_ believe that this wasn’t his version of being overprotective.

As they got out of the car, though, Nicholas felt warm and a little excited through his tiredness. Static Man was always subtly looking out for Nicholas’s wellbeing. No one had really cared if Nicholas took care of himself since his mother, and Chris to a smaller degree.

“Can you make out the sign?” Nicholas asked, mainly to keep himself from falling asleep right then and there.

“Not really, all I see is _motel_.”

“Well, let’s find out what this world’s version of a Super8 is, then.”

Static Man laughed, which was a pleasant enough sound that Nicholas almost closed his eyes again. “You think it has the magical version of HBO and Showtime in every room?”

“Presumably,” Nicholas replied, at least able to smile despite the exhaustion.

A bell rang as they walked into the reception area. There was a desk waiting with a familiar face behind it.

“Oh.” Nicholas wondered if he was supposed to feel surprised. Really, he was mostly fascinated, if he was awake enough to think of a reaction.

“Hello,” said the waitress – or, rather, the Clerk, with her bored customer service tone. “And welcome to Moody’s Family Friendly motel and rest stop, where we promise to treat you like the family we never had. Would you like to rent a room?”

“Yo,” Static Man said beside him. “Uh…Nice to see you again?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gee, I wonder if this motel will have more than one room available. I wonder if maybe, perhaps, by chance, there will be only one bed available. Gee, wouldn't that be awkward? Huh. Guess we'll find out.


	2. 02

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They keep driving. Tensions run high. Feelings are complicated.  
> And none of these geniuses know how to communicate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Large pieces of dialogue are taken directly from transcripts and I in no way claim to have come up with that awesomeness. My bits are them slowly falling in love and then realizing they've fallen in love, because… Well, because why be self indulgent if it’s not gonna be on brand?

Nicholas seemed a little out of it as they spoke to the Clerk – he didn’t even react when she asked if they were okay with sharing a double bed. It was possible he was sleeping standing up. Static Man, however, was very much awake enough to hear the question, and he agreed before he could second-guess himself.

Of course one bed was fine.

It was _fine_.

When they got to the small, dank motel room, Nicholas practically collapsed onto the bed instantly. He was clearly a lot more exhausted than he’d let on in the car. He didn’t even seem to notice that the double bed under his back was made of actual water, which Static Man would have found hilarious if he wasn’t so concerned.

Since Nicholas’s eyes were closed, Static Man only hesitated for a second before he started to remove Nicholas’s shoes, then helped pry him out of his jacket. Nicholas was so tired he didn’t even argue when Static Man urged him up a bit further so at least his head rested on a pillow.

Nicholas stretched out, and he didn’t even bother disguising the pained groan as he clutched at the thigh of his bad leg, trying to ease the tension. It was only because the dude was clearly close to sleep that Static Man dared to offer to help.

“Mind if I try something? With your leg?”

Nicholas made a grumbling sound of agreement. Hesitantly, Static Man put his not-hands on Nicholas’s ankle, and moved the static and teeth that was him in rolling, gentle movements over the length of Nicholas’s leg, from ankle to thigh. It was easy to feel through his slacks where the flesh was twisted and broken in unnatural ways, ways that just weren’t possible without magic. It felt tense and painful, and Static Man applied the light, scraping pressure of his teeth to as much of is as he could, trying to normalize the blood-flow and maybe relieve some aches.

He kept going for a while. Low hums of approval came from Nicholas every now and then, enough to tell Static Man that he definitely wasn’t making it worse, might even be helping, and it was nice to know that maybe his current freaky form could be used for something good.

He wasn’t sure how long he’d been massaging the leg with his teethy non-hands when Static Man finally glanced up at Nicholas’s face, and his movements froze.

Nicholas was asleep.

He was asleep and not in pain; it was obvious because his face was totally relaxed. The near-constant lines of worry were gone, making him look as young as he actually was for a change. Nicholas looked peaceful, no sign of the harsh, unyielding pressure he put on himself.

He looked really fucking beautiful.

 _Okay, no need to be creepy, dude._ Static Man took his spot on the free side of the bed and forced his attention to the ceiling. It was a challenge; the moldy ceiling and rocking of the water beneath him wasn’t enough to distract from the fact that a surly, bossy, gorgeous nerd was right there beside him.

Close enough to touch.

Okay, this was going to be a long night.

*

Nicholas woke up in the middle of the night to find Static Man close enough to his side that little pinpricks of static tickled through his t-shirt. He seemed almost glued to Nicholas’s side like a charged balloon, and Nicholas couldn’t help but notice how nice it felt. How he wished Static Man was closer, covering more of him than just his side.

In the quiet night, Nicholas allowed himself to lean into the static form beside him, just a little more than felt strictly platonic.

By the time Nicholas drifted back to sleep, a staticy not-arm had wound its way around his waist, and it was the most comfortable sleep Nicholas ever had.

*****

They had been driving for a while in silence the next morning, listening to the weirdness of the radio and music that came from…somewhere.

“You notice that?” Static Man asked after a long stretch of silence.

“Are you referring to the clouds off in the distance? The ones that appear to be fighting each other?”

“Nah,” Static Man said. “I mean, yeah, that’s weird, but I was talking about the road. Like it’s sorta, you know, musical? Or giving off a musical tone, at least? Kinda like a drunk, coked-out sorority girl at a party; she’s not really singing MGMT’s Kids exactly, just kind of gesturing in the general direction of the music, you know?”

Nicholas remained quiet for a moment. “I didn’t go to many sorority parties, I’m afraid.”

“Dude, really?” Static Man couldn’t help the sarcasm. “You mean you weren’t regaling everyone with tales of 17th Century French folk tales while they did shots?”

“18th and early 19th Century French folk tales, actually,” Nicholas corrected automatically. “And my research wasn’t _solely_ focused on–”

“Oh my gods!” Static Man interrupted for his own sanity. “Anyway! Point is, did you notice the shit about the road?”

Nicholas breathed a sigh of the longsuffering. “Yes. The asphalt, or whatever it is this highway’s made of, seems to be responding to our tires as we drive over it.”

“Any idea why?”

“I…” Nicholas considered. “Perhaps it’s simply the resonant tone of the road? Your guess is as good as mine.”

“Yeah, just unexplained weird shit. Like the fucking motel! Beyond the whole Nurse Joy thing with the front desk woman–”

“Sorry, Nurse Joy?"

“Yeah, dude, you know. Nurse Joy. From fucking Pokémon.”

“I don’t…”

Static Man would roll his eyes if he had any. Not so much at Nicholas as at himself. How the fuck did he fall for this person who knew everything there was to know about old French folk tales but not Pokémon?

“Dude, I’m not going to explain goddamn Pokémon to you,” he said. “You know what Pokémon is.”

“I’m aware of the concept, I just didn’t play the games.”

“Or watch the animated show? Or the movies? Or the collectible card games? Or buy the toys or merch or–?”

“I guess I wasn’t interested,” Nicholas interrupted.

“Dude, we’re the _same age_ ; how did you not get into Pokémon?” Static Man couldn’t wrap his head around it. “I could name all of the original 150 and only, like, six presidents. It’s actually an issue, it’s definitely crowding out important memories. What does my grandfather’s cologne smell like? Who knows, but I know that Growlithe evolves into Arcanine. Like, what type of childhood did you have if you didn’t get into Pokémon?”

The words had barely left Static Man’s mouth before the uncomfortable and self-conscious look on Nicholas’s face filled him with instant regret.

Damn it, he should have known better than to poke at his childhood.

“I…moved around a lot,” Nicholas said, almost shyly. “With my mom. I was a bit…bookish.”

It broke Static Man’s heart the way he said that like it was a bad thing. He made an attempt at keeping it light, giving Nicholas a way out. “Not surprising,” he said in what he hoped was a teasing, friendly tone.

It did not work.

“I didn’t exactly have friends forcing me to be interested in what is essentially cartoon dog fighting.”

The underlying defensiveness in Nicholas’s voice betrayed the loneliness he tried to cover. The loneliness he'd grown used to over the course of his life. Static Man _really_ wished he could swallow his damn pride and assure Nicholas that he never needed to be alone and friendless ever again.

But since he was too chicken for that, he could at least stick to his point and not prod anymore at Nicholas’s childhood.

“That’s not what Pokémon’s about at all!” he said instead. “It’s about the bond between trainer and…Whatever, this isn’t…Why did we start talking about Pokémon?” He legit couldn’t even remember.

“You mentioned Nurse Joy?”

“Ok, yeah, right.” Static Man proceeded to explain what that _very obvious_ reference meant to the poor intellectual with a sad childhood.

“But that’s not an appropriate comparison,” Nicholas argued. “The Clerk–”

“Are we gonna call her that?”

“I can’t think of a better name,” Nicholas said. “The Clerk works as a waitress and as a front desk person and…I assume, she works more jobs as well. It isn’t as if her sisters work as menial employees, too, she works all those jobs simultaneously. Part of the…unique makeup of this world.”

How was Static Man so far gone over this pedantic fucking – “Well…Whatever. It’s weird as hell."

“I’m not arguing with you there.”

“But yeah, just unexplained weird shit. More than the Clerk, there was the fact that the waterbed was _actual_ water you could sort of float on.”

Oops. Static Man had _not_ meant to mention the bed. The bed where he’d woken up that morning curled up against Nicholas’s side with the other man leaning into him like he was comfortable.

It had been the nicest fucking way Static Man ever remembered waking up, ever, and he had pulled away as fast as he could and neither of them had addressed it.

“…I thought it was pleasant,” Nicholas said, and Static Man did _not_ let himself think that maybe he meant it the same way.

“It was great!” Static Man exclaimed with too much enthusiasm. “And the purple toad alarm clock, and the…I’m just not used to this shit.”

A moment of tense silence fell over them.

“I…” Nicholas swallowed and started again. “ _You’ve_ been engaged in, how would you phrase it, weird shit, for a while, though? Since before you left college, if I remember correctly.”

“Yeah, but…I’m not sure how to explain it. Everything was always sort of…grounded. Like _one_ weird thing and ninety-nine non-weird things. Here, _everything_ ’s off.”

“And you still felt grounded, even with your…particular nature?”

Static Man considered for a moment. “Yeah,” he decided. “Most of the time I could almost forget it. And it’s easier since I’ve been with you, since you’ll leave a recorder on.” And because you’re you. “Like, I can exist continually. Which is…It’s nice.” His voice wasn’t shaking, was it? “Like, I hadn’t really slept until I started working with you. Now I do.”

Was that too much? Too honest? Admitting out loud that his existence was just better in every way since he’d met Nicholas? Those were things he would _like_ Nicholas to know, but he didn’t know how to explain it or express shit like that without making it weird or getting it wrong or leading to some sort of misunderstanding.

“Anyway,” he said quickly.

“If you would like to talk about…” Nicholas sounded awkward, too; unsure if he was allowed to offer. The fact that he did anyway made Static Man feel cared about. Which was still a feeling he was getting used to.

“Nah, dude, I’m good,” he said, eager to change the topic. “Just excited to get an actual body again!” He tried to laugh, but it wasn’t super convincing.

Luckily Nicholas didn’t push.

“Alright,” was all he said, and they lapsed back into silence, listening to the static and occasional freaky voices on the radio.

*****

They hadn’t been driving for much longer before Static Man, unsurprisingly, started talking. Nicholas didn’t mind. He enjoyed the comfortable silence, but he also liked listening to Static Man rambling on. His voice was not unpleasant, and his observations were always interesting or amusing.

“Dude, do you think there are _actual_ people – or maybe not like people, but creatures – that are voicing the radio stuff? Or is it just…”

“I assume it’s simply an outgrowth of this particular landscape. Or part of the ritual. Though I can’t give you any concrete answers.”

Nicholas didn’t _like_ not having answers; he was used to filling the role of the guy who knows things, who is always prepared, and he didn’t want to let Static Man down. Not that Static Man seemed to really expect him to have all the answers.

“Sorry, dude, I feel like a five-year-old asking questions. Next thing you know I’m going to be all ‘are we there yet, let’s stop at McDonald’s!’”

“Or Popeye’s.”

“Well, duh.” Static Man perked up. “Though Popeye’s doesn’t have nearly the interstate presence as…Wow. Are you–?”

Nicholas instantly spotted what had distracted Static Man. “I see it.”

“Do you…”

“I’m not sure what it is." Nicholas slowed the car down as they approached.

“Bones?” Static Man mused. “There are just. There’s too many.”

“I don’t think they’re bones. Though I’m not sure what else they could be.”

“You think we should stop?” Static Man asked, before his voice rose in enthusiasm. “Yo, dude! You see the sign?”

Nicholas squinted. “Yes.”

“Come on, pull over.”

Nicholas did as he was told, and approached the sign as soon as they were out of the car. He read, “Yuhmigana Chasm Art Installation. In the centre is a heart. Find the heart.”

Static Man chuckled. “You know me; I can’t get enough of loose body parts. Hello!” he shouted into the strange installation, the word echoing all over the place with a distinctly magical weirdness.

“Static Man!” Nicholas chastised.

“Dude, it’s not like–”

“Just be careful.” No need attracting unwanted attention.

His worry must have come across because Static Man didn’t argue. They walked closer the…art installation. It seemed sort of like a maze, built out of twisted metals and unidentifiable organic material. In fact, most of the parts were fairly unidentifiable.

“You think this is part of the ritual?” Static Man asked. “It seems…ritual-y.”

“I assumed that our journey would take longer, honestly,” Nicholas admitted. “But, we could have sufficiently purified ourselves? The centre could contain what we’re looking for.”

“I mean, I want a whole body, not just a fucking heart. Like, I know it could be a metaphor, just putting it out there.”

Nicholas couldn’t blame him. “Come on, let’s keep walking.”

They did, moving side by side. With every step, the ground beneath them crackled and sputtered like gravel, except very much not gravel.

“Yo, what are we walking on?”

Nicholas looked down at his feet. “It’s most likely not human. Hopefully.”

The wind picked up around them. It sounded almost like it was accompanied by music.

“You hear that?” Static Man asked.

“The wind. Just the wind.”

“Seems like a graveyard to me,” Static Man said. “Like, a robot graveyard, if that makes sense?”

Nicholas considered. “I don’t believe we’re walking on bone. Feels more like…exoskeleton? I’m reminded of insects. And vehicles.”

“Cross between Cars and A Bug’s Life. I get it.” 

Nicholas chuckled, and as always he felt a little embarrassed about it. He didn’t laugh much. “I couldn’t bring myself to watch Cars,” he admitted.

“Yeah, it isn’t worth it,” Static Man said. “Like, the whole Cars series is trash. Yo, what’s your favourite Pixar–”

The loud sputter of a radio interrupted him. Nicholas looked around for a source but couldn’t see any radio. Still, the sound was _loud_.

“What the hell!” Static Man exclaimed.

“Prepare yourself,” Nicholas warned. This couldn’t be good. The sound of heavy breathing joined the radio static. “Where is that sound coming from?”

“You see that flickering?” Static Man turned their attention to a part of the artwork where the air seemed to be twisting itself. “Get behind me!”

Static Man shoved Nicholas back and seemed to sort of spread himself before him, like he was ready to protect Nicholas from all angles. Nicholas couldn’t help but wonder if the urgency was because of the vassal thing, or if it was…because he cared.

The silence lasted a beat longer before an echo-y, familiar voice hissed from the crackling flicker. “ _You’re here_.”

The Trucker. So much for not attracting attention. “So we are,” Nicholas replied.

“ _You should turn around_.”

“And why exactly should we do that?” Nicholas tried to maintain calm.

“ _Aren’t meant to be here._ ”

“That’s almost the exact same point you made when you first contacted us. I fail to see what’s changed.”

“ _Leave_!”

It came out hissing, desperate. Nicholas wasn’t quite sure how to respond to that. He wasn’t surprised when Static Man spoke up first, but he _was_ surprised at his oddly gentle tone.

“Is this place…important to you?”

There was a pause as the wind picked up, creating more musical notes.

“Is that…”

 _“The way the wind blows through this place,_ ” the Trucker replied. “ _It can sound… You might as well hear it.”_

The music became more audible.

“Be on your guard,” Nicholas whispered to Static Man.

_“This ain’t gonna hurt you, sorcerer. Listen.”_

They did. The wind played an unearthly song as it passed through the organic and robotic constructions around them. The song was slow, and sad, and pretty. After a while, it quieted and became background noise.

“What happened here?” Static Man asked quietly.

“S _ometimes you gotta change even when you don’t want to._ ” The Trucker's voice was far away, like he was speaking through a bad memory. “ _Even when it hurts. You’re forced to do it. Outside pressure; things shift, bones break and bend. You can still hear the echoes and the crack. This whole places is echoes. Bodies…transform into things. So you don’t recognize them. It’s carnage. Gore. Most don’t survive. Some are changed. You killed one of them already. And a few…A few drive the same highways we always have. A legacy of an infection, written in bodies.”_

The sad song in the background faded into static. “ _This whole Blacktop isn’t for you, but this place; this place is somewhere you should not touch_. Leave.”

Static Man was the one to break the silence that fell over them.

“Nicholas.”

“What?”

“I think we should go.”

Nicholas spun to stare. “Are you joking? This creature opposed us from the start, we shouldn’t simply follow–”

Static Man cut him off. “This isn’t part of the ritual.”

“I was under the impression that I knew more about this particular ritual than you did.” Nicholas hated the surety in Static Man’s voice because he didn’t understand it. The Trucker had threatened them and Nicholas couldn’t understand any of this well enough to see how Static Man justified they should just walk away. He loathed situations like this, when everyone else seemed in on some theme or secret that he didn't get.

“Call it intuition,” Static Man said. “Just…Dude, we should leave.”

Nicholas wasn’t certain why that answer made him feel so inadequate, but he couldn’t stop the defensive, childish tone in his voice. “You realize that we are doing this for you, correct?”

“Dude, don’t pull that shit on me,” Static Man called him out instantly. “I’ve been doing your gruntwork for two goddamn years, I have–”

“Are you going to refuse to travel further into this…area?” Nicholas snapped, trying to ignore how _doing your gruntwork_ sent his blood boiling. “Well, then, since we need your consciousness to complete the ritual, it appears that this is no longer a discussion, is it?”

It hurt, Nicholas realized. That’s why he was snapping. D _oing your gruntwork_ stung like a knife, and he didn’t like how the Trucker spoke like Nicholas was some evil intruder – and the feeling like maybe Static Man agreed with him. He could tell Static Man cared about this, but it stung nontheless.

“I guess not,” Static Man replied tensely.

Nicholas swallowed against the lump in his throat. “Anything to add, whoever the hell you are?”

_“Not really.”_

“Alright. Wonderful.” Nicholas started to turn back towards the car.

“ _Thank you, Static Man. For what it’s worth. You should still go back to where you came from, but…thank you for this.”_

“You’re welcome,” Static Man replied, and it wasn’t reasonable for that interaction to further provoke the hurt Nicholas was trying to ignore.

The spiking radio sounds that accompanied the Trucker’s voice flickered and returned to the volume they were used to.

“Glad to see you’ve made a friend, Arthur.” The name slipped out before Nicholas could help himself. He hated this habit he had formed, of using Static Man’s old name when he didn’t know how to handle an emotionally fraught situation. “Come on; back to the car.”

The wind whistled with remnants of a song as they walked back to the car over crunching metal bones. Nicholas was exceedingly frustrated with himself for using the A-word. He _knew_ it was his stupid brain overreacting with instinctual defensiveness to the vague notion that he was being ganged up on, but he also knew how much Static Man hated it. He should be able to do better.

“So,” Static Man said once they were back in the car. “What do you think that place was?”

Nicholas sighed. He hadn’t shed his dark mood enough to reply like an adult. “Figure it out yourself.”

He turned the key and got them back on the road. Every now and then, Static Man attempted to start a conversation, but Nicholas kept shutting it down. He just wasn’t in a place to talk right now without saying something more he would regret.

After a while, Static Man seemed to accept that, and fell into the silence without any further protests.

Despite everything, Nicholas was grateful for that.

*

When they pulled into the gas station, the only sound in the car for the past two hours had been radio static and snacks being chewed. The station looked like literally every gas station ever seen on the side of a highway, though the windows glowed a bit more than windows generally did.

“Why don’t you stay here and pump gas,” Nicholas said. “I’ll go in and pay. If paying is necessary.”

“Yo, can you get some snacks?” Static Man asked – he knew Nicholas was still upset but he had to ask. “We’re not out, but we could def use some restocking.”

“Those were supposed to last–,” Nicholas cut himself off. “Fine. Do you have any particular preferences?”

Static Man listed his road-trip-snacks of choice, though Nicholas pointed out the likelihood of finding them in a dream dimension.

“You never know!” Static Man shot back.

“Alright. Come on.”

They got out of the car and Nicholas started straight towards the gas station, leaving Static Man alone with the pumps. Rationally he knew that Nicholas wasn’t really mad at _him_ , so much as he was just projecting hurt from the incident before, but Static Man couldn’t fully understand why he was upset and he definitely couldn’t force Nicholas to talk about it. So, he just turned to the gas pumps in resignation. He scanned the options.

“Yo,” he called out. “There’s premium gas and super premium, and one of them looks like it’s got a bunch of hieroglyphs, what do you want?”

“Uh,” Nicholas paused on his way to the station. “It’s not…Premium is fine.”

Alright, then.

Static Man pumped some premium, then proceeded to lean against the hood of the car as he waited.

That’s about when he heard the sound of slick skittering and turned to see a disgusting eel-looking thing with a lot of legs having crawled up the driver’s side door and was attempting to pry the thing open.

“Hey!” Static Man shouted. “Get away from there!”

He started to just shoo it off, but the thing turned to him with no eyes and a set of teeth sharper than any Static Man had. It hissed before jumping straight from the car and onto Static Man’s form, claws prepped to scratch at anything it landed on.

Nah-ah, _not_ acceptable.

Static Man sent the thing flying off of him. It hit the ground with a squishy thunk before it tried to scramble right back towards there car. The thing seemed determined to jack their ride.

“Oh, hell no!” Static Man did his thing and sent a force of power into the creature that had it exploding into nothing but gore and viscera, reducing it to bloody ribbons just in time for a vaguely Nicholas-shaped shape to come running out of the station.

“What are you doing? Stop it!”

Static Man was barely aware of Nicholas’s voice. His not-blood was rushing in his not-ears and he evaporated the last remaining pieces of the thing that had tried to break into their car.

“Arthur!” That did it. That got him to look at Nicholas. “Who was that? Why did you kill…whatever that thing was?”

Static Man was getting his non-breath under control as the adrenaline from the fight helped gear him into _pissed off_.

“Answer me, Arthur!”

“My name isn’t goddamn Arthur!” Static Man shouted, anger buzzing through every single one of his teeth.

“That’s not the…Alright.” Nicholas closed his eyes for a second like he was counting to three. “Static Man, why did you reduce that thing to small, bloody chunks?”

“Do you really want me to answer that?”

“Obviously I want you to answer that! Why is this even a debate?” Nicholas asked. “If, if you were attacked, I understand, but–”

“Are you going to _command_ me to tell you?” Static Man snapped. That _if_ grated on him like nothing else.

“Excuse me?”

“I’m your vassal, right? Like, I swore fealty to you? So if you want to command me, I’m magically obligated to fucking answer you.”

Nicholas looked like he’d been punched in the stomach. Like Static Man had shoved him to the ground and stomped on his chest. He _knew_ it was a low blow, that he intentionally went for the wound that would hurt Nicholas the most, but he was just so freaking angry and frustrated, and he wished they could just fucking communicate properly but they both sucked at it so all he was left with was misplaced aggression.

“That wasn’t the point of the ritual,” Nicholas said. His voice sounded broken.

“Wasn’t it, though?” Static Man kept pushing. “Like, I get it; I work for you, but-”

“It’s a two-way street.” Nicholas sounded desperate for Static Man to believe him. “I’m also obligated to protect you! And, need I remind you, that if we _hadn’t_ done that, we would not have been _nearly_ powerful enough to make this journey and attempt to attain a physical body for you.”

Static Man knew he didn’t mean for that to sound condescending, that it was just Nicholas being Nicholas and trying to make his point. But Static Man couldn’t shake his bitterness.

“Thank you, my gracious lord sorcerer, for seeing fit to bestow such a…nice thing, or whatever, on me.” His voice dripped with sarcasm and spite and he could see that it all hit home even if Nicholas tried to hide it.

“Do you still want a body?” Nicholas asked.

Static Man was thrown for a bit by the question. “Yes!”

“Alright.” Nicholas took a deep breath, visibly calming himself. “Now, are you going to tell me what the hell happened here? Or should I just guess from context clues?”

“Some random creature, looked like an eel with legs, tried to steal the car.” Static Man glanced towards the leftovers of said creature. “I dealt with it.”

A moment’s silence. “And that’s it?”

“That’s what happened, dude,” Static Man said, anger still there but the adrenaline was fading. “If you don’t fucking trust me after I’ve been saving your life for over two fucking years, then you don’t trust me.”

“Alright,” Nicholas said with nearly no hesitation. “Let’s drive.”

…Static Man stared. Even with all his anger, Nicholas was gonna give in, just like that? Like he didn’t have a fucking doubt in his mind that Static Man could ultimately be trusted?

Well, fuck, if that didn’t feel insane for so many reasons.

Like the implication that Nicholas’s faith in him wasn’t dependent on them always getting along perfectly? Despite the fact that nearly every person Nicholas had ever put any faith in eventually let him down, or left him?

He still trusted Static Man? Just like that?

That had to mean _something,_ right? Except that they were both upset, everything was so weird right now and they certainly weren’t about to address whatever that meaning was.

Nicholas didn’t wait for a reply. He just got into the car and turned the ignition, waiting patiently for Static Man to join him. Which he did, after just a second’s more of low-key freaking out. They started driving instantly, radio static filling the car as they turned back onto the road.

“So…did you pay for the gas?” Static Man asked awkwardly. 

“Yes. Three drops of blood.”

“Cool. Cool. And was she–”

“It was the same Clerk.”

“Nice.” He laughed slightly at his own weirdness. “So, get any Doritos?”

“No,” Nicholas replied. Maybe there was a weakly suppressed smile in his voice. “I ran out before I could take a thorough look at the options.”

“Well. Next gas station, then.”

Nicholas’ shoulders seemed a little more relaxed. “Sure.”

*

“Nicholas.” Static Man’s voice interrupted the tense silence and the strange jazz from the radio. “Nicholas. Dude, I think you need to–”

“Listen, Static Man, I think it might be best if we simply drove in silence for a while.” He wasn’t entirely recovered from Static Man’s jabs at the gas station and didn’t trust himself to maintain a reasonable conversation. “I…I would prefer silence, if that’s alright? I know…I understand that’s…”

“Dude,” Static Man interrupted his awkward mumbling.

“Yes?” It came out much softer, more vulnerable than he intended.

“Look out your right-side window.”

Oh. Nicholas did as instructed. The clouds looked wrong and weren’t the right colour, but they were definitely storm clouds. And much too close to the ground.

“Ah.”

“But if you wanted to _drive in silence for a while_ ,” he said in Nicholas’s voice, “we could totes do that.”

“No, no it’s alright.” Nicholas ignored the mocking tone.

“So, any idea what the hell that thing is?” Static Man asked. “Like, I know it’s a storm, but it’s freaking green and the angles are all wrong and I…really, _really_ am not a fan of how it shifts like a fucking psychedelic album cover.”

“I have absolutely no idea what the hell that thing is.” Nicholas tried not to sound as nervous as he was.

“Awesome. Got some ritual that could stop weather shit? Like a Storm from X-Men ritual?”

“No. No, I do not.”

“Well, shit.”

That accurately summed up the situation.

“Alright, alright, options.” Nicholas took a deep breath. “Ok, there doesn’t appear to be any structure anywhere near us so…so we can stop the car, hunker down. Or we could drive and hope to outrun it or we could turn around, depending on the angle. It…it’s all about whether it varies its path and I’m just not sure…”

“Yo, my vote’s for stopping the car and hunkering down,” Static Man said. “Like, I do not want to be in something going eighty miles per hour when a goddamn magical storm hits.”

“Point taken,” Nicholas conceded. “Though it’s more about–”

He was interrupted by a very loud, _very_ unpleasant noise coming from the radio. The sound almost seemed to mingle with the sound of the storm outside, that suddenly appeared to be much closer than it had been a moment ago.

“What the fucking fuck is happening?” Static Man exclaimed.

“No idea!”

“Dude, we _need_ to stop the car.”

“I don’t–” Whatever he had been about to say was instantly forgotten at the faint sound of a voice coming from the radio.

“– _my beautiful boy away from me_ –”

“What _was_ that?” Nicholas stared at the radio.

“Who cares? Stop the car!” Static Man shouted.

“No, no, I’m _sure_ that was her, that had to–”

“You still need to stop the goddamn car!”

“We need to–” 

“No, _you_ need–”

The strangeness of the radio increased as it further integrated with the strangeness of the storm, mingling together and growing more and more intense until Nicholas couldn’t quite separate outside the car from inside the car, and everything was very loud and very bright and –

And then everything stopped.

And Nicholas definitely wasn’t in the car anymore.

“Hello?” Nicholas asked into the nothing he found himself in. “Hello? Is anyone…” He trailed off, fighting to keep the fear down. How many times could he find himself in this exact situation? “Not particularly enjoying being in an off-white limbo, just, for the record,” he said into the never-ending space. “In case anyone’s listening. Hopefully someone is…”

He trailed off again. What was the point? There clearly wasn’t anyone here to answer him, and he needed to figure out how to –

“Nicholas?”

He whipped around at the sound of the most familiar voice he knew, and there she was, looking at him with the same shock and awe he felt.

“Christine!” Just seeing her there made him feel like breathing was a little easier, and he was hit with the crushing relief of being near the only other person who cared about him.

“Nick!” Christine broke out in a grin. “Goddamnit! It’s…”

Nicholas wrapped her in a sudden, forceful hug before he even noticed he was moving. He wasn’t used to overwhelming surges of emotion, but this one was…potent.

“Are you okay?” Chris asked, returning the hug after a second’s surprise.

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll be alright.” He was embarrassed by the sobs that sounded in his voice. “It’s just…” he swallowed. “Nice to see you.”

“Yeah.” She ran her hand up and down his back before letting him go. “Same here, big brother.”

“I’m…” Nicholas stared at her. “I appear to be at a loss for words.”

Chris smiled, taking his hand and squeezing it in her smaller one. “It’s ok. It’s ok, Nick. Really, it’s ok.”

“I have to ask…What was the substance we used to cover the doors to the house? During the ritual.” He didn’t like it, but paranoia was warranted given his lifestyle.

“Dude, virgin’s blood,” she answered without hesitation. “Ah, you’re wondering if I’m not…actually her.”

“Sorry.”

“Nah, it’s probably smart. But, I’m Chris!” She made jazz hands. “Ta da!”

“Though, if you were some sort of projection of my mind, something akin to An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge, you’d still know what I knew. It’s, uh…”

“Nick.” Chris just looked up at him with fond amusement.

He tried to clear his mind. He was feeling a lot at the moment and wasn’t quite sure how to process it. “I apologize. It’s just…It’s been so long since I’ve seen you.”

Seeing her was such a relief that he wasn’t even embarrassed at the way his voice cracked when he said it.

“Wait…How long has it been?” Chris looked genuinely confused.

“Two years and three months.” He could have noted the days, too, but she didn’t need to know the specifics of how keenly he felt her absence. “I’m…assuming your experience has been different?”

“It’s been about six weeks for me.”

“Ah.” Nicholas wasn’t sure what else to say. He was almost jealous.

“Shit,” Chris muttered. They stood in silence for a moment.

“Alright,” Nicholas said finally. “Alright. I’m not sure exactly how or why this happened, or how long we have, we should probably…”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Chris agreed. “OK, you’re in my dimension-thingy, right? Or else we wouldn’t have been able to talk. Uhm, did you come to look for me, or–”

“I’m with Static Man,” he said quickly. “We’re trying to find a body for him.”

“Oh, OK, so, complicated ritual shit?” she guessed.

“Exactly. And how did you find _me_?” he asked. “Were you…I’m not sure exactly what’s happening.”

“So, this is a worldstorm,” Chris explained. “It’s like a…Well, it’s magical as hell, picks up weird shit from all over, and it, like, exists in multiple places at once, if that makes sense? I don’t really get it, Xkryxx tried to explain it to me but it went over my head.”

“Xkryxx?”

“Long story, probably not enough time,” Chris said. “Uhm, ok, so we ran into a worldstorm and Lou has this artefact that kind of…alter it a bit? To communicate over vast distances to people you care about. And you were being super disruptive, because of _course_ you were, so the artefact showed that you were in, you know, the weird magical dimension. Lou calls it the City? Although that doesn’t make much sense since it isn’t one big city? Anyway, this is a little…time pocket, that lets us talk. For a little while.”

Nicholas tried to wrap his mind around all of that. “Excuse me. Time is _stopped_?”

“Sort of? That’s what the music is, it’s like, sound that’s super slowed down.”

“Ah.” Nicholas considered. “It’s…lovely. But we don’t have much time?”

“No,” Chris said. “I’m sorry.”

“Alright.” They had limited time, he needed to make the most of it. “Then, tell me everything. How are you doing? Are you ok? Did you regain your memories? If you want to come back I will–” 

“I don’t…I don’t want to go back,” Chris said gently.

“Ah.” He hadn’t really meant to ask that, anyway. His emotions spat the question out before he could stop it.

“I haven’t regained my memory fully, but…bits and pieces are coming back,” Chris explained. “And I really like it here. The crew is great, kind of eccentric, but fun, you know? Bunch of misfits. Lou’s…wonderful.” Her smile turned almost sappy. “The whole thing’s an adventure and I feel, you know, needed. The world is surprising and…I’m doing good, Nick. I am.” She smiled at him like she worried he wouldn’t believe her.

But he did. He believed every word. And he hated how much it hurt, because _he_ needed her too and _he_ was a misfit too and he was thrilled for her but he also secretly wished that she missed him as much as he missed her.

“Well, then,” he said softly, trying to keep his feelings in check. “I’m happy for you.”

“Yeah, don’t worry about me, ok?” Chris smiled at him, that little-sister-smile that he’d missed so much. “How are _you_ doing? Like I said, you’ve been making a lot of noise.”

Nicholas cleared his throat, unsure how much he really wanted to reveal. He didn’t want her to go back stressing about him too much. “I’m doing…alright. It’s been a bit difficult without you, but I’ve been managing. I have increased my knowledge of the…I don’t like saying magic.”

“Feels to Harry Potter?”

“Exactly. Let’s say esoteric arts. It’s fascinating.” As always, he felt more relaxed and comfortable, talking about something he knew, something he was passionate about. “Uncovering old rituals, finding out how the world really works. Slightly intoxicating. I’ve even started to create my own rituals.”

Christine’s eyes widened. “Shit, really?”

“We’ll see how everything works out.”

She bit her lip. It was nice to see she still had that habit. “But, I mean, _how_ are you doing? Like, are you happy? Do you have people you can trust? How’s Static Man?”

He almost wanted to laugh. Her last question answered the other two. He had exactly one person he could trust, and that made him feel happy.

“I’m involved with interesting work. And Static Man…Our friendship has been very productive. He’s…He can be a bit…”

“Of a dumbass?” Chris guessed with a grin.

_Infuriating, startling, wonderful, exciting…_ “Let’s say reckless,” he decided was safest. “But once we actually acquire a body for him, I’m not sure…We’ll cross that bridge once we get to it.” He didn’t want to admit out loud, to Christine or himself, how scared he was that Static Man would leave just like she had, once it was all over.

“Wait,” Chris perked up significantly. “What was that look in your eye? And why does your voice get all weird when you say his name?”

Oh, fuck, he forgot how well Chris could read him. His tongue felt too big in his mouth and he really hoped he wasn’t blushing. “Excuse me,” he tried, “I have no idea w–”

She didn’t even let him finish denying it. “Holy SHIT! Do you have _feelings_ for Static Man? Dude, you don’t even have to answer that, it’s written all over your face. You have feelings for Static Man!”

Nicholas really wanted to say something very convincing to prove her wrong, but none of the words seemed willing to leave his mouth. He just had never been in the habit of lying to Christine.

“Dude, this is the weirdest and best thing I’ve heard in weeks,” Chris gushed. “When did this happen? _How_? I mean, he’s a cool dude, but like…He’s so different from you, you know? Not that you’re not cool, you’re just cool in very different ways and I just–I mean, now that I’m thinking about it, it actually makes a lot of sense and I can totally see it but I just can’t believe that–”

“Nothing is happening, and I would really prefer not to talk about this anymore, if you don’t mind?” Nicholas pleaded. Chris looked like she wasn’t really sure anything else could be more worth talking about, but one look at his distressed expression and she let it go.

“Nick…” Chris’s voice softened carefully. “Please don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m worried about you.”

“Excuse me?”

“So, the reason Lou’s artefact was able to know you were here is because you’ve been…being pretty disruptive.”

“I’m not sure exactly what you mean,” Nicholas admitted.

Chris sighed. “So, this place, it’s big. You’re on a completely different continent than I am, different rules, but this world? It reacts when you try and assert your will over it. Not that the world is its own thing, or anything, but…Stuff reacts. You know?”

Nicholas couldn’t help but feel like he was being accused of something, and once again felt defensive. He hadn’t done anything wrong, had he? “I don’t know if I follow. You went to live in…whatever this place is. Is the world reacting to _you_?”

“Well, I’m not trying to assert my will over it, you know? Neither is Lou.” She looked uncomfortable with the conversation. “We’re just living it. You can get away with it for awhile, and who knows, if you’re powerful enough you can probably just, drive on through it. But…but it’s real.”

Nicholas swallowed. He was reminded of the feeling of being chastised by his mother. “Something to keep in mind. Do you have any specific advice on how to combat it?”

“You can try laying low?” Chris suggested. “Or turning around. But, eh, that’s not really your style, I think. Not anymore.”

He wouldn’t turn around now for anything. This was for Static Man. No way was he quitting on his promise.

“No. It isn’t,” he admitted. “Thank you for telling me.”

“Of course, Nick.” She smiled warmly at him. “You know I love you.”

Nicholas felt his own shy, stupid smile. He shouldn’t feel surprised at his sister saying she loved him. It just wasn’t something he heard a lot anymore.

“I love you, too,” he told her. Then, because it was Chris, and she would understand, he said, “I heard my mom’s voice. Over the radio. It was faint but…I know her voice.”

Christine’s jaw dropped in surprise. “What did she sound like? What did she say?”

“I mean, she sounded like you. But that’s…My mother told me – not over the radio, when I was little – that my dad told her she sounded just like my grandmother. So…”

“Dude, dad’s creepy as hell.”

Understatement of the century. “I’m aware. But my mother, she said something about a “beautiful boy”, it was…difficult to make out.”

“Shit,” Chris said. “That must have been tough. I’m sorry, Nick.”

Nicholas took a deep breath. “It’s alright,” he whispered. They both knew he was lying.

“I’d tell you to be careful, but you already know that. Everything dad touches turn to shit.”

He made an effort to smile. “Except us.”

Chris grinned. “Of course. We’re both pretty and smart as hell.”

“Just for the record, I’m officially calling dibs on being the pretty one.”

It made her laugh, like he hoped it would. “It isn’t a competition! We’re both pretty as hell. One of us just happens to be prettier than the other.”

“Exactly. Me.”

It felt good to make Christine laugh. “Ok, if I ever get back to your world, I’m going to re-install Tinder and _show_ you–” She was cut of by the increasing sound of weirdness, of the storm that was somewhere around them, or near them. “Damnit.”

“I’m assuming that means our time’s up?”

“Yeah, ok, uhm, stay safe, OK?” Chris asked. “Promise me you’ll be careful?”

“Of course. You do the same.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Nicholas swallowed. “Is there a way I can see you again?”

“I don’t…I’ll try, OK?” She was already starting to fade. “I promise I’ll try.”

“I’ll try, too.”

“Love you, bro.” She smiled at him, and he knew he was going to miss her even more after this.

“Love you, sis.”

The weirdness and music got louder and pointed until suddenly the world shook and Nicholas found himself back in the car.

“–stop the damn car!” Static Man’s shouting was the first thing he registered.

“I’m back, I’m–”

He was cut off as their car crashed into the side of the road.

*

They watched the green storm cloud move away, both trying to catch their breaths. The only other sound was radio static. Nicholas turned the car off, and Static Man’s panic slowly gave way to concern.

“You ok, dude?”

Nicholas looked like he’d been put through an emotional wringer. Yet, “I’m alright. You?”

As much as he loved to be asked, Static Man still wanted to roll his eyes. “Dude, I’m made of static and teeth. I don’t get hurt.” But Nicholas very much could. “Though I still am not a huge freakin’ fan of _you_ not stopping the goddamn car!”

“It wouldn’t have done anything,” Nicholas said weakly.

“Really, dude, really? Because it seems like you were doing what you always do, which is ignoring me and treating me like an attack dog who–”

“We should see if the car’s alright,” Nicholas cut him off, which was for the best, because Static Man was letting his worry and frustration get the best of him again.

Nicholas turned they key in the ignition. The car started, but it was sputtering with some weirdass magical sound that could not be a good thing.

“Was that there before? I’m like, seventy percent sure that wasn’t there before. Maybe seventy-five, who knows, I’m bad at math.”

“We’ll take a look at the engine.”

Nicholas turned the car back off and they got outside to stare down at the engine.

“It looks…normal?” Nicholas guessed. “At least from what I know of cars.”

“Ah, the gearhead speaks. How long has it been since you drove a car? Remind me.”

“Do you see anything out of the ordinary?” Nicholas ignored the jibe.

“I mean…no? Don’t know why you think I’d know shit about cars, but…No. Honestly, it’s probably a magical issue, like, I don’t think Click and Clack from Car Talk are going to help us fix it.”

“Wait, you’re a fan of Car Talk?” Nicholas sounded incredibly amused by this.

“Oh god no, it was unfunny as shit and they always laughed at their own jokes. My dad just liked it.”

“Anyway,” Nicholas was kind enough not to ask follow-up questions. “You’re most likely right. The problem is probably magical.”

“Oh, yeah, thanks."

An awkward silence fell over them for a long few seconds.

“I apologize,” Nicholas said quietly. “For not stopping the car. I was in a bit of a panic and I should have listened to your advice.”

Damnit, how was he supposed to stay angry when Nicholas was really trying? “It’s…ok, dude.”

“ _And_ for the way I acted at the gas station,” he continued. “I should have assumed the best of you. You’ve already proven yourself time and time again.”

And hell, if that didn’t just mean the fucking world. To be trusted. Counted on, by someone who hardly relied on anybody.

“Thanks. I just…” He looked at Nicholas, who was looking at him like the wellbeing of the freaking world depended on whether or not Static Man forgave him. “It’s fine,” he said softly. “It’s all good, man.”

It wasn’t what he wanted to say, but if was all he was able to. 

“Well, the car still seems to work, even with the issue.” Nicholas cleared his throat. “We should keep driving.”

“Yeah.”

“Keep a lookout for a repair shop or…anything, really.”

“Will do,” Static Man agreed. As they returned to the car, he asked, “So, what made you space out like that, anyway?”

Nicholas explained how he had seen Christine. Static Man could tell, regardless of how much Nicholas tried to hide it; he was hurting. He missed his sister and would never admit out loud how much it bothered him that Christine would never _choose_ Nicholas.

Static Man watched Nicholas try to disguise the pain he was feeling, and he couldn’t stand it. They’d both been feeling too much too fast. Tempers had been running high, they’d been scared and frustrated and they’d snapped at each other and it was all just a little too much, and for once, Static Man didn’t stop himself when he wanted to comfort Nicholas.

He reached out and took Nicholas’s hand in his static form, and he held it for a long moment. Nicholas stared down at where they touched, looking like he’d just won some sort of prize. Static Man let his non-hand linger there for a long moment.

Then they returned to normal and started driving again.

They did not talk about it.

*****

“Yo, dude, you see that?” Static Man asked. Nicholas had been focused on the road and the weirdness that was the radio, but as soon as he looked around he noticed what Static Man was referring to.

“Uh, yes.”

“You see a sign anywhere?”

“No, just…a lot of detritus.” Quite a lot, actually. It looked like a junkyard, except a lot of the pieces seemed to be in good condition, some practically sparkling in the light, while other things looked like rusted old parts. He thought he could see some fur in there, as well.

“Should we stop the car?”

“It most likely won’t hurt.” Nicholas found an opening between the piles and parked the car. The trash and mess made their car look a little less beat-up.

“Maybe we can find an auto mechanic or something?” Static Man suggested.

“That seems un…” No need to be pessimistic. “Well, we should certainly check.”

They made their way through the junk, looking around at all the oddities.

“Any idea what this place is?”

“Some sort of junkyard, I presume,” Nicholas shrugged. “Though it doesn’t appear to be labelled Moody’s, which–”

He was interrupted by what he could only describe as circus music, the kind of terribly organ grinding music that made everything seem like a creepy horror movie. A voice sprouted twistingly from an old-looking speakerphone mounted on a pole.

“Hello ladies, gentlemen, and other far more interesting specimens! Welcome to Dr. Persimmons Fantabulous Museum of Oddities, Objects and Abnormalities! Please, my dears; venture into my domain!”

“Are you freaking kidding me?” Static Man exclaimed.

“Static Man, may I respectfully ask you to _not_ eviscerate anyone, regardless of whether or not they’re extremely annoying? Self-defence exempted, of course.”

Nicholas could _hear_ the smirk in Static Man's voice. “No promises.”

“Static Man,” he warned. Didn’t want him putting himself in danger.

“Fine, _fine._ Just, if this dude starts pulling some Mister Magorium’s Wonder Emporium shit, I reserve the right to hurt ‘em just a little.”

“Noted.” Nicholas tried not to smile.

“Please, my dears!” the voice continued with snake oil-salesmen level enthusiasm. “I would ever so much like to meet you and sell you my wares. Yes! Yes, come now. I have such objects to show you! Come further! Keep playing, monkey, I wasn’t done yet. No, the same song, just, just continue it! I don’t care whether or not–”

Nicholas cleared his throat loudly, hoping to speed things up and get this interaction over with as soon as possible.

“Hello, my dears!” A person stepped out from behind a giant speaker sitting amongst the junk. They wore a terrifying orange and purple suit and a hat that seemed to be assembled from at least five separate hats. “Why, aren’t you two lovely specimens of flesh and…the substance _you_ are composed of.” They eyed Static Man sceptically. “Might I introduce myself? I am Dr. Persimmons, the proprietor of this fine and fabulous, nay, _fantabulous,_ establishment. It is _lovely_ to make your acquaintance, my dear…”

They trailed off, eying Nicholas expectantly with very large pink eyes that appeared even larger behind the thick-lens glasses.

“Nicholas,” he introduced himself. He did _not_ have a good feeling about this.

“Static Man. Yo, what’s your doctorate in?”

Dr. Persimmons looked at him in shock. “Excuse me?”

Nicholas had never wanted to laugh more in his life, and it became harder to keep his face neutral with each word Static Man said.

“Like, did you go to an accredited university? Did you go to SUNY Purchase? Did you research media studies? If you’re a doctor, what’s your doctorate in?”¨

Nicholas managed to avoid spluttering laughter as Dr. Persimmons made an obvious effort not to let their annoyance show.

“Why, _my_ doctorate is in giving my valued customers great deals! Now, monkey!” They picked up an object and shouted at the miserable-looking animal in charge of the fun-house music. “Play something… _fun_ while I show these two gentlepeople around my humble establishment.”

“What is that, if you don’t mind me asking?” Nicholas asked, not really sure if engaging in conversation was a good idea but curiosity won out.

He was rewarded with a horrifying tale of Dr. Persimmons turning their former employer into a monkey that left him feeling relatively sickened. “I was…talking about the instrument,” he pointed out, indicating the strange object the doctor held.

“Oh, that’s a harpsi-grinder,” they said with a wave of a hand. “Now, come, come; follow me to oddities and contraptions of your wildest imaginings! Now, do you see this…intriguing little number?”

They stared.

“The…deer?” Static Man asked, saving Nicholas the trouble.

Dr. Persimmons proceeded to tell them about this frozen-at-the-brink-of-death deer that also left Nicholas feeling a little sickened.

“…I can take it by your face and your…static where your face should be, that you aren’t entirely interested,” the doctor picked up on eventually. “Come, come; let’s move along, so many wonderful objects to see!”

“Actually, if you had any car parts,” Nicholas started, hoping to cut this entire interaction short, “we’re having a bit of car trouble and–”

“Oh no, I’m devastated to hear of such a thing!” Dr. Persimmons exclaimed like they’d announced the death of a loved one. “What is it, are the seats not attractive enough? Is the sound system not powerful enough to excite the men or women you’re sexually interested in? Is it the headlights, the–”

“It’s making a funny sound,” Static Man interjected, earning Nicholas’s undying gratitude.

“Well, we will see what we can do. But first, may I present…A lucky penny!”

The penny in question seemed distinctly unlucky, and Nicholas couldn’t help but agree with Static Man’s assessment that it was “creepy as hell”.

Next, the good doctor tried to sell them on a bladeless hilt that could also cause horrific damage. Nicholas didn’t feel like they were making much progress.

“It isn’t exactly what we’re looking for,” he tried.

“Monkey, play something better!” Dr. Persimmons ordered their previous employee. “I swear; you’re trying to ruin me with your piss-poor attitude. Ah, that’s better. Now, how about this, my dears!” The doctor turned their attention back on them. “Truly, a stunning work of art and science.”

“…It’s a radiator,” Static Man pointed out blankly.

“But not just _any_ radiator!” They explained how it could apparently make the sound of any radiator in history. They also looked very put out that neither Nicholas nor Static Man seemed to find this particularly impressive. Nicholas found himself needing to cover his mouth a lot while the doctor spoke, trying not to show how silly he found this whole thing, and Static Man’s teeth kept clattering like he was snickering.

“Moving on,” Dr. Persimmons finally declared when it was clear they would _not_ be bidding on the radiator.

“Yo, so, we haven’t exactly seen a lot of people in this…”

“The Blacktop, I do believe it’s called,” the doctor answered Static Man. “A wonderful little area. Quite unique. Quite changed.”

“Yeah, so…Why are _you_ here?” Static Man asked.

“Static Man–” Nicholas tried to warn.

“Oh no, I don’t mind at all,” they assured eagerly. “I am here, my dears, because there will always be someone selling things. It is the way of the world. Or at least, this little area of the world. Now this… _this_ is probably more up your not-inconsiderable alley!”

The doctor held up a small, metallic device that looked bit like a music box, if more elaborate. Like if a music box was also a puzzle. “This…is a frequency tuner. It takes any, let’s say, unagreeable sound, and it can simply whisk it away, through the power of music! Look, or, more accurately, listen…”

Nicholas looked at the small device and listened to the resonant hum coming from it. “Do you think this could help us with our car troubles?”

“Why yes, I do believe it could!” the doctor exclaimed. “Almost as if the universe was looking out for you, hmm? Now, it seems you two would wish to purchase this fine product?”

“I mean, yeah. Right, Nicholas?”

“We would be interested,” Nicholas agreed.

“Wonderful! I do so love making a sale. Now, we must move on to the slightly bothersome matter of payment. Would you be willing to part with the soul of any friends or loved ones?”

“Wait,” Static Man started.

“No,” Nicholas said firmly. “We would not.”

“You certainly strike a hard bargain,” said Dr. Persimmons. “What if…Neither of you have met your romantic soul mates, correct?”

Oh, that was not remotely a question Nicholas had been expecting, and certainly not one he was prepared for. He was also not prepared for the way his stomach seemed to seize up at the question, and he felt the instinctual urge to lie, as if he in fact had any idea what the truth was. Even as he told himself that, though, he could feel the buzz of Static Man beside even more clearly than usual.

“Nn-no?” he made himself say before he could do any more thinking.

“I don’t…think so?” Static Man said.

Nicholas tried to pretend not to notice how his stomach fluttered and how a part of his brain seemed to be hoping that Static Man was lying.

“Wonderful,” the doctor said. “If you simply let me murder your romantic soul mate, wherever they are – I’m sorry this would have to be a painful death – but if they’re murdered, why, you could take this object right now?”

Nicholas glanced towards Static Man and tried not to think too much.

“Dr. Persimmons,” he said, “I think we have slightly different ideas about how much this piece of equipment is worth, and how much we’re willing to give up to get it.”

“Ah.” Their face fell in disappointment. “It seems we’re at an impasse.”

“Yo, Nicholas has given blood and fluids before, is that–”

The doctor cut Static Man off. “My dears, I apologize. Perhaps I have not conveyed myself with appropriate emphasis. It seems you find me slightly ridiculous, do you not?”

Nicholas glanced quickly at Static Man. “I wouldn’t–”

“No, no, I sympathize,” they cut him off. “I simply haven’t made myself clear. I will tell you now so it is absolutely at the forefront of your minds. My name is Dr. Persimmons and I am not one to be trifled with. I have objects in my collection that can tear you from the inside out, slowly, eating your organs, replacing them with painful memories of–”

The good doctor was cut of by the distinct sound of a fast-moving truck approaching.

“What is–” they started.

“Nichols, get out of the way!” Static Man shouted.

“What?”

“Follow me, now!” Static Man’s non-hand wrapped around Nicholas, the prickling static tying around his wrist like a ribbon and teeth scraping slightly against his skin, and Nicholas didn’t argue. He let Static Man take off running and followed without complaint.

“Where are you–” the doctor started as the truck got louder and closer. Nicholas could catch a glimpse of it now, tearing through piles of Dr. Persimmons’ wares.

The thing came crashing through the junkyard, creating chaos as it went. The sounds of frightened animals and the monkey shrieking was loud in their ears as Nicholas and Static Man kept moving. Dr. Persimmons screamed behind them.

“Oh god,” Nicholas muttered.

“Come on, come on!” Static Man urged. Behind them, the doctor was shouting at the approaching monstrous vehicle.

“Oh god, it’s him.” Nicholas was getting very sick of this thing chasing them.

“Yeah man, it’s a big-ass _truck_ ,” Static Man shouted in frustrated agreement. “Keep running!”

Screaming and sputtering came from behind them as the doctor apparently decided to try and engage the truck in a one-on-one fight. It did not sound like it was working out.

“Just keep running, dude,” Static Man said. “We need to get to the car!”

“If you’ll remember,” Nicholas said through panting breath. His leg was killing him. “Our car isn’t exactly in top shape!”

“Then it’s lucky I fucking grabbed the resonator, right?” Static Man yelled over his shoulder. Nicholas wanted to scream with relief. Of course he had.

“Ah, thank you!” he exclaimed in amazement.

“Come on, there it is!”

Indeed it was – Static Man had guided them safely to the car. “Get in.”

They jumped in and Nicholas fumbled for a moment getting the keys in the ignition. For a second, it stalled.

“Dude…!”

“Come on, come on,” Nicholas muttered to the keys, hoping they would listen, and when he twisted them again the engine roared to life. He started driving without pause.

“Hell yeah!” Static Man celebrated for about three seconds before looking out the back window. “Dude, it’s coming for us.”

“I’m driving as fast as I can! Try and fix the sound!”

“I don’t know how to work this!”

“Try and figure it out; I’m driving!” Nicholas shouted back, trying to keep his focus on the road ahead and _not_ the giant, terrifying truck he could see in the rear-view mirror.

“Uh, uh,” Static Man started fickling with the thing. “Ok, not that, not that…”

_“I’ve caught up with you, sorcerer.”_ The Trucker’s voice crackled from the car speakers.

“Yo, uhm, maybe you could, like…not?” Static Man tried. “Just _not_ try and kill us? ‘Cause of the whole weird-ass organic graveyard thing? We’re like, friends now! Buddies!”

_“I thank you for that. I’m still going to run over that car and watch the blood seep from cracks in the metal.”_

“Ok, that didn’t work,” Static Man mumbled. “Just drive!”

The sounds of the road, static and music mingled with the driving to create a deafening crescendo all around them. The engine sounds were the most concerning.

“Go faster, dude!”

“The accelerator is pushed all the way down!” Nicholas replied. “I can’t _go_ any faster.”

“Well, try!”

“How?” Nicholas let out an loud sigh. “Keep fixing the resonator.”

“Dude, I’m not a magical repair…static person. I don’t know how to do that!”

“Well, I am _trying_ to drive, so just make an attempt!”

_“Car troubles?”_

“We’re doing alright,” Nicholas answered the smug voice.

_“I’m going to catch up with you soon, Sorcerer. You must feel that.”_

Nicholas’s grip on the steering wheel tightened. “You can try.”

The Trucker gave a slow, disturbing laugh. _“I need some driving music.”_ Strange sounds accompanied his voice.

“What the hell is this Kraftwerk shit?” Static Man asked. “Yo, I can’t fix the resonator with this dumbass song playing.”

“I’m not going to turn off the radio!” Nicholas yelled. “Just do what you can!”

_“You know what this is, don’t you?”_

“Please, inform me,” Nicholas said dryly.

_“It’s the land rising up against you. Defying you. You’re trying to bend the world to your whims, but this world is fighting back. It doesn’t want you here; I don’t_ want _you here.”_

“I picked up on that. You’re going to have to catch us, though, and I’ll warn you, this car goes pretty fast.”

_“I go faster,”_ the Trucker taunted. _“It’s all a straight road, sorcerer. You know I’ll catch up with you. And it’s more than just your car, it’s your_ will. _In the Blacktop, it’s all about will. And desire. And there is nothing I want more than to run you down.”_

“Yo, I thought we were cool!” Static Man exclaimed.

_“I gave you a chance, lackey.”_

“Douchebag,” Static Man muttered.

“Keep working on the resonator! Trucker, if it’s all about will, I have to ask, how was my father able to so radically alter this particular section of, I believe my sister called it, the City? Did you simply not want it enough?”

_“Your daddy was powerful. But you’re not your daddy.”_

“Dude, he’s gaining on us,” Static Man said unhelpfully.

“I’m aware of that,” Nicholas replied. “And I never claimed to be my father! Quite the contrary, I killed him. I beat him to death with his own obsidian statue. I saw my father’s brains and blood spill on a wood-panelled floor.”

The words and the memory sent a wave of nausea through him, but he managed to keep his tone cool, level, like nothing could get to him. It was the image he needed to present right now. The Trucker couldn’t know he was getting to him.

_“Hmm. What’d your daddy do to piss you off so much? Or was it just a power thing?”_

“Oh, he tried to hijack my body and kill my sister. Part of a plot to gain a limited form of immortality. He wasn’t exactly what you’d call a good dad.”

_“But here you are. Driving in his footsteps.”_

“I’m trying to help a friend. It’s a long story.” 

_“You’d think, if your daddy wasn’t a good, what’s the word…role model, you wouldn’t be messing with forces beyond your understanding. But that didn’t stop you, sorcerer.”_

Nicholas breathed through his nose, trying to keep his temper in check. “No,” he said flatly. “It didn’t.”

_“You know this is just a matter of time, don’t you? You can see me gaining in your rear-view mirror, while your lackey tries to fix your car. He’s more your thug, isn’t he? Just kills what you tell him to kill, not really suited to–”_

That was it. That ugly tone in this angry voice, daring to insult Static Man, to reduce him to nothing but some murderous side-kick.

Nicholas removed the muzzle from his anger.

“You know what I’ve been doing?” he asked, voice sounding dangerous even to his own ears. “In the two years since I killed my father?”

A brief silence. _“I have a feeling you’re going to tell me.”_

Nicholas kept his eyes firmly on the road and his voice stayed frighteningly calm. “I’ve been discovering secrets. I’ve been learning about how the world really operates. I’ve been consolidating power. I have built a sanctum where no one who wishes me harm can enter. It’s in Bed-stuy, you can visit it in my world. I have assembled a library _full_ of rituals and power. I have conversed with a dying god and kissed him as he faded into nothingness. I have been busy, in the two years since I killed my father. I have become someone. Not. To. Be. _Fucked_. With.”

His breath came out heavily but he didn’t regret a single word.

_“Was it worth it, taking after your daddy?”_

“Yes,” Nicholas spat back. “But come, catch me. I’m sure you could easily defeat me; so many others have.”

_“You’re not as powerful as you think you are.”_

“Would you like to test me? To attempt to break my body? That seems harsh, don’t you think? After all, I’m only trying to clean up after my father.”

_“Really. That’s what you’d call it?”_

“I’m not trying to destroy the Blacktop! I did not come here to pillage or–”

“I fixed it!” Static Man interrupted enthusiastically.

“What?”

“I fixed the harmonic resonator…thing.”

Nicholas looked at him in awe. “Really?”

“Yeah man, what did you think I was doing while you were having your dickmeasuring contest with Johnny Cash?”

Nicholas resisted the urge to release the wheel and throw his arms around Static Man’s. “Thank you!”

_“Goddamn it!”_ The Trucker was falling behind, growing smaller and smaller in the rear-view mirror.

“Dude, we’re gaining!” Static Man laughed. “Oh, hell yeah!”

“What were you saying about catching up to us?” Nicholas asked the radio.

_“You know your car still ain’t right. It was only a temporary fix.”_

“Well, it seems like we’re _temporarily_ going to escape from you, doesn’t it? And we can see what happens when you catch up to us again.”

_“I’ll be seeing you.”_ The Trucker sounded resigned. Committed. He wanted them gone and he had the patience to wait for his next chance.

“I’ll count on it. And think about what I said. I’m not my father. I’m just going to clean up his mess.”

For a long while after, radio static was the only sound that filled the car as they drove. Nicholas felt the tension like a weighed blanket. He focused on his breathing until he trusted himself to speak.

“Thank you, again, for fixing the resonator."

“Nah dude, it’s all good. We were already picking up speed, if you didn’t notice. The whole ‘don’t fuck with me’ speech had him kind of spooked.” 

“Well, that was the intent.” Nicholas tried not to be embarrassed.

“Yo, by the way, did you really kiss a dying god?”

So much for not being embarrassed. “I…yes.”

“Wait, you and Kristos?” Static Man guessed, sounding much too excited by the idea. “Dude! You’re such a player! Did you–”

“It wasn’t romantic!” Nicholas argued before he could finish another question. “It was part of the ritual.”

“Still,” Static Man said. “Dude looked like he was carved out of marble. I mean, he _was_ carved out of marble. But still.”

_He had nothing on you_ , was the first thought that popped into Nicholas’s head. It was a strange thought, especially considering Static Man didn’t even technically have a body to even compare to Kristos. And yet, Nicholas was absolutely sure that the marble god had nothing on Static Man.

Inconveniently, the blinders Nicholas had been forcing on himself vanished, and he was left with the undeniable knowledge that he had failed in the thing he had been actively trying to avoid.

Fuck. He really had developed feelings for Static Man.

He was in love with him.

_Shit._

“I was trying to threaten the trucker,” Nicholas said quickly, as if to cover up his own thoughts, like Static Man would be able to see them otherwise. “I’m glad it worked.” 

Silence hung between them for a long moment, and Nicholas was almost worried that Static Man _could_ see his thoughts, somehow.

“That stuff about consolidating power, it’s not the only…” Static Man trailed off. “You’re not…Sorry, it’s weird to ask, but…”

Nicholas didn’t want him to ask. He didn’t want him to think it was necessary to ask. But he understood, anyway, and couldn’t hold it against him.

“No,” Nicholas said. Of course it wasn’t the only reason he had done all this. It was barely even the original reason.

“Ok.”

Nicholas hoped Static Man believed him. “Come on, we should put some distance between us and him.”

*

“So, I don’t want to be this guy, but…do you have any idea how much longer it’ll be?” Static Man asked.

“If you want to ask ‘are we there yet’, just ask ‘are we there yet’,” Nicholas said with barely concealed amusement.

“Dude. I just wanted to know if you had, you know, a sense of the ET. But yeah, ‘are we there yet’?”

“I really don’t know. I apologize, if I had to hazard a guess, I’d say we were…closer to the end than to the beginning? But that’s just a hunch. I can’t be certain.”

“Your magical spidey-sense?” Static Man teased.

“That’s one way to put it.”

“Nah, I get it,” Static Man said before Nicholas could get too in his head about it. “Like, you spend enough time with the “woo-woo” shit, you get a sense of the stuff. I mean, other people do, I’ve always kind of just powered through, you know?”

Nicholas hummed in agreement. “The car still sounds a bit off,” he added. “Is there any way you can retune the resonator and–”

“Nah, I don’t think so. The thing got set once I did, you know…” He trailed off.

“What exactly _did_ you do, by the way?”

“I mean…I know what I did; I fixed it! Go me!”

“And…how did you do that?” Nicholas pushed.

“I matched the…sound of the car, the bad sound, to the sound of the resonator, the good sound. But, like, opposite, you know?”

Nicholas hummed, sounding amused again.

“I played with it until it worked, ok?” Static Man confessed in a huff. “Like one of those 3D puzzles but with sound. But yeah, I don’t think Merle Haggard was lying; the fix isn’t going to be permanent. We still need to…do car stuff.”

“Ah.” Nicholas sighed. Static Man could practically hear his concern.

“Don’t worry too much, dude, we’ll just…keep driving until we can fix the problem. Shit like this usually sorts itself out.”

“Let’s hope,” Nicholas said, though he didn’t sound too optimistic.

*

The radio decided to play them the delightful tune of beetles eating flesh off a corpse.

“Oh, gross, dude,” Static Man exclaimed, his teeth roiling unpleasantly.

“Are you going to be sick?”

“Nah, I don’t think that’s physically possible, it just…feels that way.”

Nicholas nodded sympathetically, though he seemed otherwise unbothered by the sounds of flesh being eaten. Lucky bastard.

*

“Oh, dude, this sounds like the bible,” Static Man said after they’d spent some time listening to a man on the radio reading emphatically from an epic text.

“The Epic of Gilgamesh,” Nicholas corrected him. “So, sort of.”

“Wait, how is it sort of the bible?” Static Man asked.

“It’s an Ancient Mesopotamian poem; there are parts in the Old Testament that were almost certainly inspired by it, most specifically the Story of Noah.”

Static Man snickered. “Hah, now I’m just imagining, like, God, flowing white beard, like, actually writing the bible. On a macbook, maybe he’s at a coffee shop, he’s like, telling the barista that he’s working on his script. Gazing into the distance, trying to see if other people think he’s deep. Listening to Godspeed You! Black Emperor in his ear buds.”

Nicholas grinned. “So, God as a mediocre screenwriter?”

“Yeah, then he’s thrown out of the coffee shop because he gets really mad about people wearing nylon. Turning women into salt and shit.”

Nicholas was having the time of his life listening to this. “You know a fair amount about this?”

“Eh, Sunday School,” Static Man shrugged. “Stuff will seep into your brain, even if you aren’t paying attention.”

He didn’t comment on it, but secretly Nicholas loved learning random things like this about Static Man’s past. His father watched a shitty car show. He went to Sunday school. Little glimpses into a life he would never pry about but that he nonetheless enjoyed knowing existed.

The engine noise was getting increasingly worse and stranger. It was becoming difficult to pretend not to notice.

*

It wasn’t often that Nicholas initiated conversation – he was much more comfortable with silence than certain others – so it caught Static Man by surprise when a quiet, almost shy question came from the driver’s seat.

“So…have you thought about what you want? For a body, I mean?”

The question caught him off guard. “I mean…I don’t really have a choice, right? We come back with a body or a random limb gets cut off. Like, once we’re done with the ritual, there’s some sort of empty vessel or whatever, and I just, you know, _schoop_!”

“I’m…” Nicholas cleared his throat. “I was hoping that you would be able to…shape it. Somehow. So you didn’t feel…out of place. But you’re right. I’m not exactly sure.”

 _Oh_ , Static Man thought. Nicholas was worried he wouldn’t be comfortable in whatever his new body was. Wanted him to feel happy with it. Could a thought have heart-eyes?

“Yeah, that’d be cool,” Static Man admitted. “Like, getting to look like Tom Hardy or whatever.”

“If you could look like anything in the world, you’d pick Tom Hardy?” Nicholas asked with surprising scepticism.

“Yeah, I mean, yeah. Wait, do you _not_ think Tom Hardy’s hot?”

“Oh, no, he’s a great choice.” He didn’t sound convinced. “Not my type, but, it’s up to you.”

“Yeah, Tom Hardy looks badass!” Static Man insisted. Though Nicholas’s tone was making him wonder what the hell his type _was_ , if not Hardy.

“So you wouldn’t want your old body back?” Nicholas asked carefully.

“I mean…” he hadn’t really considered that option. “I want _a_ body, I’m not too picky, you know? Like, if Popeye’s isn’t available, I’ll go to KFC. And if I get the chance, hell yeah, I’m making improvements. I want to be jacked as hell!”

He didn’t really care too much about that, but it sounded like something he should want, so why not.

“Ah. I think I get that.”

“Yeah, and I’d want a bunch of other shit. Like, strong, and fast and…are we talking about the dick, or–?”

“No, no we are not,” Nicholas said quickly, to Static Man’s delight. “We are one-hundred percent _not_ talking about that.”

Nicholas was blushing. Honest-to-Kristos blushing. It was absolutely adorable and made Static Man want to think that maybe Nicholas got so flustered and nervous about this stuff because he didn’t want it to seem like he actually ever _did_ think about it.

“ _Such_ a prude,” Static Man teased, because it was what he lived for. Then be sobered, because Nicholas had asked a serious question and he wanted to give him a proper answer. “I’ve talked to you, before, how it felt, right? In this body…thing?”

“You can always tell me more,” Nicholas said gently.

“It’s like…interacting with the world with mittens on, or something, if that makes sense. Like, the volume on the TV feels turned down.” He wasn’t really describing it properly, but Nicholas gave him a sad, empathetic look that told him it came across. Static Man wasn’t sure he liked that look. Like Nicholas could see the suffering buried deep under his sunny attitude.

“I’m sorry,” Nicholas said, and looked at his hand like he wanted to move it. He didn’t, and Static Man thought maybe that was for the best. He wasn’t sure he could take much more of Nicholas caring so explicitly right now.

“But, like, there are really good things, too!” he said brightly. “Like, I’m a whisper on the wind! I can–,“ he adopted Nicholas’s voice, ” _imitate people’s voices_!”

Nicholas smiled a little. “To be fair, you don’t do that too often.”

“I actually forget I can do that sometimes,” Static Man admitted. “Anyway, I’m powerful as hell. Which wasn’t, like, true, before.”

Not even a little bit, but those were memories he had no intention of dredging up.

“Do you…” Nicholas trailed off. It was another one of those times where he clearly wanted to offer something, but didn’t know how to phrase it. Static Man could relate.

“Nah,” Static Man said. “Let’s keep driving. The weird sound’s getting worse.” And as much as he liked to hear how much Nicholas cared, it was too much to think about, especially when he had no guarantees of how this would all turn out.

“Yeah,” Nicholas agreed. “We should find something.”

*

The creepy priest was on the radio again, talking about cutting pieces off his skin. Static Man really didn’t enjoy this particular program, so at first he was relieved when a loud noise spiked on the radio, cutting the preacher off and making strange, wavey sounds.

“Yo, what was that?” he asked.

“I…don’t know,” Nicholas admitted.

“ _My beautiful boy belongs to me. You won’t take him.”_

Nicholas’s entire body seemed to tense. “Mom?”

Damnit. Static Man ached at the sad, hopeful tone in Nicholas’s voice, and he was instantly worried on a lot of different levels. One of which was, he would like to avoid another car accident that could hurt a fragile human body.

“Nicholas…” he said carefully. “Don’t get–”

“It’s ok,” Nicholas replied, and he did sound more calm than before, if shook up. “I’m, I’m fine. Mom, is that you?”

“ _I am a mother to a beautiful, handsome young man,_ ” said the woman on the radio. Her voice was much clearer now. “ _He is mine and only mine._ ”

“Alright,” Nicholas said with effort. “I’m Nicholas. You sound a lot like my mother. Do you know who I am?”

This made Static Man relax a little. Nicholas wore his pragmatic voice, he was trying to make sense of the situation without letting his emotions guide him. This was how he worked best, and Static Man tried to chill.

“ _I know you. I know your_ stench _. This place is not for you, my loved one. My beautiful child is not for you._ ”

Okay, chill gone.

“I don’t know what you think I’m trying to do,” Nicholas said, failing not to sound hurt, “but–”

“ _Be quiet!_!” the woman shouted. “ _This place is for people who can become part of it, who can fit in, like me and my boy. You will never find us._ ”

“I’m not–”

“ _You will never find my beautiful boy_!”

The radio sound got all distorted again, and then jazz music was playing and the silent tension in the car could be poked with a fork. Barely repressed pain radiated from Nicholas, and Static Man really wanted to say something to make this better but he had no fucking clue how to help with this so he just…waited. Until he had to say _something_.

“Dude, if you want to turn the radio off for a bit, I don’t think–”

“No. I’m fine.” Nicholas sighed, knowing full well he wasn’t convincing anybody. “I’m _fine_. We need to see this through, we can’t–”

The car backfired.

It rolled to a stop.

“Damnit,” Nicholas muttered, breathing heavily as he tried the ignition. It didn’t work. Silence hovered for an instant before… “Are you…Are you _kidding me_?!”

Nicholas was barely keeping it together; his breathing edged closer to hyperventilation and one hand was clenched so hard around the steering wheel it looked like the knuckles might burst through the skin.

“Yo, it’s alright!” Static Man said, but Nicholas didn’t react. He tried again. “We can, you know…It’ll be ok.”

Static Man looked at the hand Nicholas had clutching his bad leg, digging his fingers in like physical pain might help calm him down.

Well, fuck that.

Static Man reached out and pried Nicholas’s fingers away from his jeans, and he didn’t let it go. He held onto the hand with everything he had and he could swear he felt Nicholas squeezing onto his static shape just as tightly.

They sat there, hand in not-hand, until Nicholas’s breathing was back to normal and his boiling mind cleared and calmed.

When Static Man finally let go, none of them said anything about it. Again.

“Let’s see if we can fix it,” Nicholas said quietly, voice thick with emotion. He cleared his throat like the feeling embarrassed him, and Static Man wished they hadn’t broken the bubble. But they had, and there was nothing for it.

They climbed out of the car to check the engine. They stood there for a minute, looking. 

“So,” Static Man said.

“So,” Nicholas echoed.

“Do you have any idea how to do…anything?”

“No.”

“Yeah, me neither. Nothing’s really, uh, changed from the last time we fixed it.”

Nicholas sighed. “No.”

Static Man took one look at the hopeless, forlorn look on Nicholas’s face, and he whacked his not-fist on the hood of the car.

Nicholas blinked. “Did you just…”

“Yo, I knew it wasn’t going to work, but I still had to–”

“…Pull a _Fonzie_?”

Static Man couldn’t help but laugh “He’s a hero of mine!”

To his immense joy, Nicholas broke out laughing. Static Man practically lived for that sound, how easy and lovely it was, and how much younger and relaxed Nicholas looked while he was making it, like when he was asleep. Static Man had done that; he’d made that laugh happen.

“Any rituals, or…?” he asked after a moment.

“Car repair rituals?” Nicholas still grinned. “Unfortunately not.”

“Shoulda killed the Pep Boys and eaten their hearts,” Static Man mused. “Coulda gained occult automotive powers.”

They stared at the useless engine some more.

“We’re not going to get this car to start,” Nicholas finally admitted. “But if we just start walking, the ritual is useless without the radio. Maybe one of us should-”

Static Man ignored Nicholas’s concern and strolled casually to the back of the car. Once in position, he put his non-hands towards the trunk and pushed.

The car rolled forward.

“Wait, what are you…”

“Dude, we don’t have to leave the car behind.”

“You can…?”

“Yeah, man, I’m strong as hell,” Static Man reminded him humbly. “Whisper on the wind and all that stuff.”

“Oh. So you…won’t get tired?”

“Nope.”

“Well…Thank you.” Nicholas looked at him – directly, in that way that only Nicholas did and that Static Man never really got used to even though he did it every day - and gave him a real, grateful smile.

“Yeah,” Static Man replied, hoping his own smile was audible. “Come on, Nicholas. We’ll find something soon.”

For a while they moved in silence, Nicholas staying behind the car to walk beside Static Man as he pushed it. They didn’t say much, but it was kinda nice, to be out of the car for once. Peaceful, even.

“Are you sure aren’t tired?” Nicholas asked after a while.

“Nah, man, I can do this all day,” Static Man said, kind of happy for the chance to show off without having to eviscerate something. “Like, honestly, you’re slowing _me_ down. I mean, no offence, but like, physically you’re sort of scrawny and–”

“We don’t have to get into it,” Nicholas said quickly, and Static Man realized how that had come across.

Shit! “Oh, no, I didn’t mean…! You’ve got, like, an Andrew Garfield thing going on, it’s–”

“No, it’s fine.” Nicholas was clearly uncomfortable. “I’m bookish, it’s ok.”

“I mean, you’re beautiful, you’re just not like, a heavy-weight champion or long distance runner or anything applicable to this particular situation is all I’m saying, man.”

He probably would have kept rambling, but Nicholas had full-on stopped walking and was staring at Static Man like he’d just spurted three heads and declared he could smell the blood of an Englishman.

“You…think I’m…beautiful?”

And only then did Static Man realize exactly what he said. He had absolutely in no way shape or form intended to say that out loud.

“Well, I mean, like, I’m just saying…It’s not, like…I’m not, like, blind, dude, you know? I know I’m mostly teeth but I can still see and shit and…”

He let himself trail off, descending into awkward silence as he wished for the car to turn around and devour him so he didn’t have to stand here and think about how much of a fool he was making of himself. Still, the look on Nicholas’s face almost made the humiliation worth it. Like he’d just gotten a Christmas present for the first time in his life.

“Just…don’t worry about the speed, is all I’m saying,” Static Man mumbled. “We should keep moving.”

They did. Nicholas didn’t say anything, he seemed to be lost in a world inside his own head, and Static Man just continued to die with embarrassment until he could find something, literally anything, to fill the silence with and distract from what just happened.

“Yo, any idea what type of birds those are?” He was elated to see the creepy things just so he could fill the silence.

“No idea.” Nicholas's voice was back to normal. As if nothing weird had happened, which was appreciated. “Their caws are a bit…awful, let’s say”

“Yeah, and I really don’t like how they’ve got the faces of dogs. Creepy.”

“Oh, I thought the faces were jackals.”

“Eh, six to one, half a dozen to the other, they still suck ass."

And thus, the silence descended on them once more. Next time, though, it was Nicholas who broke it.

“I know it’s not my mother.” He said the words quickly, like he'd been holding them in. “My mother’s dead. I wasn’t there when she died. I should’ve been, but…the funeral was open casket. She’s dead.”

“I’m sorry.” Static Man wasn’t sure what else he could say.

“No, no, I’m alright,” Nicholas lied. “But I know the voice was…most likely some creature trying to…”

“Mess with you?” Static Man guessed.

“Yeah.” Nicholas stared at his feet as they walked. “An angler fish, shining a light to…make me distracted. I apologize, for letting it distract me.”

“Yo, it’s all good man,” Static Man said. Anything else he really wished he could say didn’t seem brave enough to come out. “I mean…Your dad did try to, like, attain immortality, maybe your mom is–”

“No,” Nicholas said with determination. “No.”

“Ok.”

Nicholas took a deep breath, steadying himself. “Come on, we should keep walking; I think I see something in the distance.”

Static Man tore his attention away from Nicholas and looked ahead. And wouldn’t you know it; there up ahead, tiny but growing larger by the second, was what looked very much like your typical road-side auto shop.

Static Man couldn’t help but wonder if this was the Blacktop cutting them some slack, or if everything was just about to get worse somehow.

“Oh, hell yeah.". He just really hoped they were going to catch a break.

It had been a stupidly long day and they really deserved a goddamn break.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realized as I wrote this that OH guess I've decided to project so much of adhd issues onto nicholas, so that just happened and felt really good and seemed right.
> 
> Kudos and comments brings air to my lungs and joy to my heart, but thanks for reading even if you don't leave those! ♥️
> 
> You can come shriek at me about multiple fandoms on tumblr @raincs and I hope you're being kind and taking care of yourself in these hard times. Did you take your meds today? 😘


	3. 03

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicholas and Static Man are forced to stand still for a few weeks while the Clerk repairs their car.  
> Maybe they will finally be forced to talk about everything they've tried to keep buried?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has not been edited properly because I just had to freaking post it and stop obsessing over the percieved quality! But this was written over a long period where I was in various states of mind so I am sorry if it comes of a little...I don't know, twitchy? Inconsistent? Feedback appreciated!
> 
> Large pieces of dialogue are taken directly from transcripts and I in no way claim to have come up with that awesomeness. I've just added all the stuff I feel they sort of just forgot to add to the actual episodes ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

It wasn’t surprising to see the Clerk standing the driveway of the auto shop. She wore the familiar smile of anyone who’s worked customer service long enough to hate it.

“Hello, and welcome to Moody’s Family Friendly Automobile Service and Repair Station, where we promise to treat you like the family we never had. Will you be needing any service or repair today?”

“Yeah, dude. Our car is broken as hell.”

She gave a longsuffering sigh. “Bring it in.”

The place was exactly what they needed. The garage was sizable and seemed fully equipped, with a small living area attached to it. They could glimpse a kitchen through one of the windows.

Static Man pushed the car into the station as Nicholas walked beside him, looking all around the shop.

“So,” Nicholas said, “in addition to being a waitress, a convenience store clerk, motel front deskperson, you’re also an automotive repair person?”

The Clerk stared at him impassively. “Yep.”

“And you’re versed in fixing cars? You’ll be able to repair ours, I mean?”

“I work here, don’t I?”

“As I mentioned, you work a lot of places.”

Static Man shook his not-head at Nicholas’s prodding. “So where do you want me to put this?” he asked before the Clerk could fire back.

“On the hydraulic jack,” she instructed.

“So…” Static Man angled up the car.

“Yeah, right there.”

He managed to slot the car in place over the hydraulic jack and moved back as the Clerk lifted the car and started to look around. “So, what happened to it?” she asked.

“Well, it started to make a strange sound.”

“Like…” Static Man produced an exact match for the weird noise through his teeth.

“Yes, like that,” Nicholas confirmed. “We thought we fixed it with this resonator, but that was only temporary.”

“Here’s the resonator, if you, uh, need to look at it.”

“Eventually our car broke down. We walked for a bit, and then we came upon your repair shop. Quite coincidentally, I might add.”

“So many coincidences in this magical fantasy realm of wonder and whimsy.” The Clerk was dripping sarcasm. She definitely wasn’t impressed by Nicholas.

“It didn’t go unnoticed,” Nicholas noted, which probably didn’t help.

“Moody’s Family Friendly fill-in-the-blank exists to serve the needs of its customers. That’s our motto. So…don’t be surprised.”

“Is that really the motto?” Static Man asked, and the Clerk did roll her eyes this time.

“No. The motto’s where we promise to treat you like the family we never had. Great motto. Anyway…” She gave the car a good bang on the hood and listened to the sound it gave off. “So your problem’s musical.”

“I wasn’t aware that automotive problems could be musical in nature,” Nicholas commented with characteristic dryness. Good to know he was recovered from his previous tension.

“Please, keep questioning the rules for the magical fantasy realm of wonder and whimsy.” Wow, the Clerk matched his dryness.

“Yeah, dunk on him!” Static Man exclaimed, laughing his ass of.

The Clerk sighed unappreciatively. “Anyway, I’m going to have to re-align the equal temperaments. It’ll take a week for me to grow the instruments to do it. Maybe two.”

“Dude, two weeks? That’s not, I’m not gonna–”

“We’re being pursued by a being hell-bent on our destruction,” Nicholas said, sparing Static Man from finding words. “Spending two weeks here is _probably_ not advisable.”

“Trucker’s after you?” the Clerk asked.

“We talking about the dude that sounds like Johnny Cash and Tom Waits and Willie Nelson had a weird threesome baby?” Static Man asked. “Or is there another Trucker?”

“That’s the one.”

“Then yeah, he’s after us.”

“Don’t worry,” the Clerk said. “Trucker can’t chase you if you’re by a Moody’s Family Friendly fill-in-the-blank. Just the way this place works. I’m still here, aren’t I?”

Nicholas glanced between the car and the open road outside. “And we just…wait? For two weeks?”

“Uh, yeah. There’s a little kitchen area here, pantry’s stocked, mostly peaches for some reason, but there’s some other stuff too. There are only two beds, so one of you can sleep in the car.”

“I call the bed!” Static Man called automatically. The instant he said it, he remembered all the various reasons why that was a _fucking terrible idea._ He didn’t want to sleep in a bed alone while Nicholas was out in the car. He’d gotten used to Nicholas being nearby, he wasn’t eager to go back to being separated.

And Nicholas, with his bad leg and actual physical body, would be uncomfortable as hell in that car all night. But now that Static Man called dibs like a moron, Nicholas was never going to argue that. He was going to stay uncomfortable.

“I’ll sleep in the car,” Nicholas said, as if to prove the point. How was Static Man going to fix _that_ mess?

“Great,” the Clerk said with zero excitement. “Conflict resolution. So…” she returned her focus to the car, and that seemed to be the end of it.

*

They had been lingering around the shop while the Clerk did…whatever it was she did with or around the car. Nicholas thought the sounds of her work sounded like the bridge on a sci-fi star ship, which he assumed was a good thing indicating she knew what she was doing.

Still, they hadn’t been told to leave the shop and Nicholas didn’t feel as comfortable as Static Man with snooping around the garage, so instead he just lingering uncomfortably, unsure what to do with himself.

“So…” he tried after a while. “Would you like any help? With…all of that?”

“Yeah, I don’t know if you noticed from me pushing the car, but I’m, like, real strong,” Static Man added from where he was inspecting a work bench. “Herculean, some have called me.”

Nicholas fought the instinct to snort. Static Man wasn’t lying; he was also the only person who ever called himself that. The Clerk looked up from her musical car repairs.

“Can either of you compose in diatonic counterpoint? Or know anything bout patching FM polyphony?”

“Yo, I have no idea what you just said, but we can try?”

“I don’t believe we can,” Nicholas corrected.

“Then stay out of my way and don’t touch anything,” she instructed. The musical repairs started back up again.

Nicholas appreciated the dismissal, as it freed him from guessing what was the appropriate thing to do. “Understood. Though if you need anything, please don’t hesitate to…”

He ebbed off as he watched Static Man move _closer_ to the Clerk, peering at something she was working with.

“Oh, cool, what is this cute little thing?” Static Man asked with the tone of someone addressing an adorable baby animal. The sounds of repair stopped again.

“What did I _just_ say?” the Clerk chastised.

“I’m not touching it! It’s just, like, really cute.” He leaned closer to the device. “Who’s a cute little guy? You are! Yes, you are! I’m going to call you–”

“It’s the fundamental frequency shifter instrument I’m growing. It’s going to fix your car.”

They heard the faintest sound of music emanating from the device.

“I can almost hear it…singing,” Nicholas noted, trying not to get too distracted with how adorable Static Man was fawning over the thing. “If you’d call it singing.”

“It’s a baby instrument,” the Clerk said. “It’s what it does. Come back in a week or two when it’s ready.”

That got him curious. “If the…infant instrument will fix our car, then what are you doing now, if you don’t mind me asking?”

She sighed in response. “There’s a fair amount of prep work I have to do. To be super basic, I have to teach it all of the basic major key modes.”

“Ah.”

“Do you two know _anything_ about music?” the Clerk asked. “If you had a good pitch you might be able to assist. In a very small, totally inconsequential way.”

“Unless you need someone with a thorough knowledge of The Magnetic Fields’ discography, I’m afraid you’re out of luck,” Nicholas admitted.

“Yo, I tried to make a remix of a My Morning Jacket song on GarageBand while I was in college,” Static Man added. “But…it wasn’t any good.”

The Clerk blinked at them. “That’s…not really what I’m looking for. Just…have fun amongst yourselves, I guess.” She waved them off.

“Come on,” Nicholas said to Static Man. “Let’s get out of her way.”

They did, spending the next few hours exploring the auto shop and small living area. Most of the time was spent with Nicholas reminding Static Man not to touch anything that could upset the Clerk – and Static Man trying to touch everything.

It was annoying and stupidly, frustratingly endearing.

*****

The morning after the visitor’s first night at the shop, the Clerk came into the kitchen for a crappy cup of coffee and was met with an unusual and unexpected sight.

Nicholas and Static Man were over by the stove, and they hadn’t noticed her come in. She didn’t get to spend a lot of time around people these days, so for a moment she stopped on the threshold and just watched. If nothing else, the two offered something new, and they were admittedly mildly fascinating.

They were trying to make pancakes.

“Ok, ok, you have to be gentle, just…hold the pan steady,” Nicholas tried to instruct Static Man, who was the one in charge of said pan.

“It’s steady!”

“ _No,_ it’s…”

The pancake fell from Static Man’s pan and onto the floor with a splat. Nicholas stared down at it, trying to hide an amused smile that even the Clerk could see.

“Five second rule?” Static Man said sheepishly.

“Well, it’s a barely cooked pancake that fell on the floor of a car repair station, but…You’re an adult and you can make your own choices.”

Static Man laughed. “I’ll clean this up once we actually make a couple.”

The Clerk watched Static Man stirring the batter and preparing another mix, before her attention wandered to Nicholas. He stared at Static Man’s attempts with open fondness. She hadn’t imagined the sorcerer capable of anything close to _softness_ , but damn if he didn’t look like he was about to melt right now, watching Static Man try to cook.

She felt like she was intruding, watching an intimate moment without their knowledge. She stepped further into the room, ensuring her steps made noise. “Wait, what are you two doing?” she asked, like she just spotted them.

“Making pancakes,” Static Man declared proudly. “Want any?”

“Uhh, sure,” she replied, too confused by the whole situation to say anything else. Nicholas looked a little embarrassed by her presence, but he recovered fast. She leaned against the kitchen table and watched as Static Man made another attempt at flipping a pancake. It flopped to the floor to join its predecessor.

“Damn it!” he yelled.

“How much trouble is fuzz guy having?” she asked Nicholas.

“He’s…improving.”

He was trying now, not to look as fond and soft as he clearly felt. The Clerk wondered if it was as obvious to Static Man as it was to her. Did he even know? “It’s been a while since I cooked anything, OK?” Static Man said in his defence. “It’s not like we’re going to run out of flour and eggs. There’s like…way too much flour and eggs.”

“Although,” Nicholas said. “I’m curious, how does this place have eggs? They appear to be fresh.”

“Eh,” she shrugged. “Kitchens have eggs, therefore this kitchen has eggs.” She had long since given up on deciphering and demystifying the logic of this place.

“Whatever, I never cook,” Static Man repeated. “Like, before Nicholas came around, I didn’t stick around long enough for anything but fast food and since then…well, ordering delivery is easier. Uber Eats, what’s up!”

Nicholas smiled again when Static Man said his name, and the Clerk was a little shocked that Static Man kept on talking like he was oblivious to it. Granted, she had terrible people skills and lived an isolated life, but she was about ninety-nine percent sure Nicholas was head-over-heels with his teeth-and-static friend, and Static Man seemed entirely unaware of it. It was the kind of interpersonal thing she wished she didn’t notice, because now she couldn’t un-see it.

“Yeah…it’s been a while since I’ve eaten anything,” she admitted, to distract herself from noticing any more lingering looks and dopey smiles.

“Oh shit,” Static Man said enthusiastically. “Do you not exist when you’re not, like, needed? Because that’s sorta my thing! Twinsies!”

“No, no, I man the various…establishments. But time is…strange here,” she tried to explain. “It’s…it’s as if you’re lying on your back in the ocean, and you daze off…and then when you wake up, you’re miles away from land, staring up at a sky you didn’t recognize.”

She realized she hadn’t meant to get that emotive, but Nicholas gave her a small, awkward but sympathetic smile, and she just sort of nodded at him in response.

“I believe it’s time to flip the pancake,” he noted to Static Man.

“Oh shit!”

He flipped the pancake over, and this time it stuck the landing. Though it didn’t look right. It was all messed up, puddly, and almost burned.

“I’m not eating that one,” the Clerk said quickly.

Nicholas’s smile widened. “We’ll keep trying.”

*****

Hours after the pancake attempt, Nicholas and Static Man were lying on the grass lawn besides the open garage doors. They inspected the grass for anything disturbing or metallic, but it seemed to be safe grass, and it was pretty comfortable to chill on.

They were also almost close enough to be touching, and Static Man had no idea if Nicholas did that on purpose or not, and he was too chicken to shift himself to close the gap. Instead he lay there feeling the tension in that tiny space between them. Nicholas was reading his book like he wasn’t aware that Static Man was losing his mind, but he wasn’t lost enough in the pages not to be suspicious when Static Man was silent for more than, like, five minutes.

“How bored are you?” Nicholas asked with an amused glance up from the book.

“More bored than every time you tried to explain the origins of the French Revolution to me.”

“The French Revolution _isn’t_ boring!” Nicholas exclaimed, and Static Man grinned to himself. He knew that would get a rise out of him, which he lived for. “It’s the absolute crux of world history! In a sense, we’re still fighting it to this very day, just–”

“Dude, no!” Static Man interrupted before he could get going. “We are not doing this! Don’t you goddamn talk to me about class inequality in the ancient regime.”

“Ancién regime?”

“Whatever!”

Nicholas sighed. “You’re welcome to borrow one of my books, if you’d like.”

He let out a groan at the thought. “But they’re so boring! I couldn’t get five pages into A Little Life, or whatever. Or Never Let Me Go!”

“Then you could have brought your own,” Nicholas replied dryly. “As it is, I am trying to read, so if you wouldn’t mind…”

“Ok, dad, god!” Static Man said, and regretted it. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine.”

He meant to let him get back to the book, but then Nicholas started sort of wiggling, trying to get into a more comfortable position, and let out a groan of obvious discomfort that made Static Man’s worry-spider-senses peak.

“Yo, you alright, dude?”

“Of course,” Nicholas said right away. “It’s just my leg and my back. I’m feeling a little sore from sleeping in the car last night.”

Static Man could implode with relief; he’d been dying to bring this up, but it would have been a total fail if he made a big deal out of it. Now, though, Nicholas mentioned it himself, which made it fair game.

“Aw shit, dude, I totally didn’t think of that,” Static Man lied. “You know we can, like, share the spare room, right? The bed’s pretty sizable and it’s not like either of us take up much space.”

Nicholas was silent beside him for what started to feel like a long time, enough for Static Man to worry he’d said too much, maybe sounded too desperate?

“Are you sure that…” Nicholas started. “I mean, I’m perfectly fine sleeping in the car, and I would hate to make you uncomfortable.”

“Uncomfortable?” Static Man asked.

There was a beat before Nicholas replied again. “Sharing a room with me. And a bed. I don’t want you to feel like you have to do that.”

“Nicholas. Dude.” Static Man recognized the self-deprecating vulnerability and he wasn’t about to let it mess with Nick’s head. “I’m not offering out of, like, a vassal need or some shit. And it’s not like it’s the first time we’ve slept in the same space. Sure, there’s only one bed, but like, we survived the motel, didn’t we? And that wasn’t some fucking vassal thing, either.”

Static Man sorta felt like blushing, and was happy he couldn’t. Sleeping in the same bed had felt really nice, and he wanted to do it again, but he didn’t want Nicholas to feel pressured or uncomfortable, either.

The silence was shorter this time. “Alright. If you’re sure.”

“I’m sure,” Static Man said with relief.

“Okay. Thank you, I appreciate it.” There was a brief, not-fully-awkward silence, before Nicholas continued. “Do you want to go inside and check the VCR again?” 

This question led to a lengthy and highly intelligent discussion about _the Pacifier_ and the groundbreaking performance of Vin Diesel as Lt. Shane Wolfe, and the valuable lessons the lieutenant would undoubtedly learn throughout the movie’s story arc.

They were discussing how the cinematic masterpiece might end when the Clerk poked her head out of the garage.

“It actually ends with Vin Diesel quitting his job, you know, as a Navy SEAL. To be a high school wrestling coach. And he makes out with the principal of the school.”

Static Man sat up with excitement. “Wait, is there a VHS copy of it somewhere?”

“No, I saw it before I came here,” she replied, crushing his hopes and dreams. “I went to the movies with my niece once. It was _awful._ ”

“Well, thanks for spoiling it, dude!” Static Man laughed. “Do you have any other movies, or…?”

“No,” she said. “And I’m doing some pretty delicate Mixolydian scale lessons, so if you could…?”

“Ah. We’ll be quiet,” Nicholas promised.

“Yo, if you need any help, or just another set of ears…?”

The Clerk sighed, which was pretty par for the course by now. “If you want to take a listen, come on. But it’ll be boring.”

“Oh no, I’m cool. You’ll barely notice me. My lips are sealed. If I had lips.” He was pretty much just desperate for something new.

As he got up and headed for the garage, he heard Nicholas let out a long breath and could feel his eyes on still on him as he went to hover around the Clerk. Static Man stole a glance, and he could have sworn Nicholas’s expression felt almost…fond? Gentle?

Something, whatever it was, that made Static Man’s static tingle and teeth tremble and he had to work to keep his focus on the Clerk’s scale lessons until he was sure Nicholas had returned his attention to his book.

*****

“–the thing is, if you pick Charmander, you just straight up run up against a wall at the first gym, because fire type is weak to rock type.” Static Man’s teeth were all clacking together as he ranted. “Yeah, the final evolution looks powerful, because it’s a dragon, but if you want to optimize your strategy, really optimize, you pick Squirtle as your starter. It’s the best choice.”

Nicholas sighed, fighting back a smile. “I…wasn’t arguing with you.”

“No, you see everyone thinks Charmander’s the shit, but he’s not! If you want a well-rounded party with type balance?”

“Please, this _isn’t_ something–”

Static Man fluttered closer to the open door separating them from the Clerk’s workshop. “Yo, yo, get in here! What starter did you pick?”

The Clerk appeared leaning against the doorframe with a vaguely amused expression. “I’m not getting–”

“Come on,” he pushed. “Nicholas here led a deprived childhood, but you’ve got to have played Pokémon, right? First gen, at least. What’s your starter?”

Nicholas stared at Static Man, at the enthusiastic buzzing and flickering of his shape, and took a second to look deeply within himself and wonder…was this really what he was gay for? A collage dude-bro who couldn’t stop talking about Pokémon? _That_ ’s the man he was in love with?

Static Man lit up with enthusiasm when the Clerk gave her opinion on the best starter Pokémon, and Nicholas shook his head fondly at the whole thing.

_Yes, that’s it; that’s my heart right there._

He wasn’t certain how he got here, but if he was honest with himself, he wasn’t unhappy about it.

*

Their first night in the shared room was…weird. They were both uncertain of how to manoeuvre around each other, alone in such a small space, which Static Man could admit was fucking stupid considering how much time they spent alone in a car together – though the car had assigned seating.

He could admit to himself that this closeness was a lot easier to deal with at the motel, when Nicholas had been as good as passed out from exhaustion. It was nice to be able to help with the pain in his leg without protests. Static Man squashed the desire to offer that particular service again; things were awkward enough, and thinking about massaging Nicholas’s leg made him think about how it felt to hold his hand in the car, to wake up with his skin pressed against his static…

Yeah, dangerous things he should not be thinking about just before they were about to sleep in the same bed. Because they weren’t talking about any of that stuff. It was better to just…keep ignoring it, right? It’s not like either of them would be _able_ to talk about it even if they had the guts to try.

Which neither of them did anyway, so it didn’t matter.

Whatever.

So Static Man lay straight on one side of the bed, staring at the ceiling until Nicholas finished in the bathroom and joined him. Then they lay there, tense as all hell, ramrod straight as if moving would set the bed on fire. As if doing anything to close the space between them was a punishable offence.

Static Man listened for ages until Nicholas’s breathing eased into the rhythm of sleep, and only then did he allow himself to relax even a little bit. 

Despite all his efforts, however, he still woke up with his static self pressed against the entire side of Nicholas’s body. He wasn’t sure if Nicholas was awake enough to notice. Static Man still scooted away as fast as he could.

Because they weren’t talking about it, so it was better to pretend it hadn’t happened.

Whatever.

The second night was easier. At least they both knew what to expect.

Static Man stretched his shape out for comfort while Nicholas showered and brushed his teeth, and he was resting on the bed when Nicholas came back in and crawled under the blanket on his side of the mattress. Their muttered good-nights were less tense and Nicholas fall asleep faster this time. Static Man tried to convince himself now that he was used to the idea of Nicholas sharing the bed with him, he wouldn’t find himself pathetically snuggled up next to him in the morning like a touch-starved puppy.

He was wrong, but if Nicholas noticed before Static Man woke up and moved away, neither of them brought it up.

_Whatever._

The third night, they were both easing over from nervous to comfortable. There was a routine now, which always put Nicholas more at ease, which in itself put Static Man at ease. He felt all his teeth tense up when Nicholas joined him on the mattress and placed himself _significantly closer_ than he had the previous nights. Static Man spent a long time obsessing over whether or not that was on purpose, but he tired himself out enough to fall asleep – and yeah, he was leaning against Nicholas again in the morning.

This time, though, Nicholas’s hand was tangled into his static, like he’d reached out for Static Man during the night. It took Static Man longer than usual to move away, and he couldn’t make himself move far.

The fourth night was…better. 

Static Man would even go so far as to call it nice, if he wasn’t terrified that kind of optimism would turn around and bite him in the ass. Nicholas seemed to have shaken his nerves, or at least gotten better at hiding them, which made the whole thing a lot easier.

Nicholas also left the door to the bathroom open while he brushed his teeth, which meant Static Man could sit on the bed and watch him through the crack. He didn’t even feel creepy about it; he’d caught Nicholas looking at him enough times when he thought Static Man didn’t notice.

What the hell was wrong with the both of them?

Why the fuck couldn’t they suck it up and _talk about it_? Whatever the hell _it_ even was? Static Man was so frustrated, he worked himself up enough that by the time Nicholas exited the bathroom, he had almost made up his mind to bring it up, screw the tension and lay it all out there on the table.

Then Nicholas lay down on the mattress, and the angry courage deflated so all he managed was a mumbled “good night”.

Of _course_ Nicholas had his entire arm wrapped around Static Man the next morning. He also woke up first for once, since Static Man felt him scoot away before he could do it himself.

And, of course, they weren’t going to talk about it.

Because they were idiots.

*

The Clerk didn’t look up from her instrument at the sound of heard footsteps approaching. She leaned against a pile of old tires outside the shop, enjoying the open night sky and the movement of her fingers across the instrument. There were only two people around anyway, and only one of them made noise when he walked.

“I don’t recognize that instrument.” Nicholas sounded genuinely curious.

“Oh.” She held it up. “It’s a Naverlee. Grew it myself. Mostly just sounds like a banjo, which I like.”

They stood in silence for a moment. “Sorry, I didn’t mean for you to stop,” he said. “It’s really lovely.”

“It’s okay. Where’s Static Man?”

“I’m sure he’s around here. He has to be, he doesn’t really exist without being recorded.” Nicholas tapped the recorder he always wore on his sleeve. The Clerk wondered if he was even aware of the smitten expression on his face. “He might be trying to read A Little Life again. Which…good luck.” He smiled. “But please, continue playing.”

The Clerk decided he wasn’t being awkward but really wanted to hear, and she wanted to, so she did. She strummed along on her Naverlee, playing the best part of one of her favourite songs. Nicholas listened silently, appropriately impressed. It felt good to share her music with someone after all this time.

“Hmm…” The Clerk looked at Nicholas when she stopped. “Don’t get much of a chance to play anymore so. Thanks for that.”

“Of course.” He looked pleased to be thanked, like he wasn’t sure he had done something right but now felt validated. “So, you’re a musician?”

“Not much of one anymore,” she shrugged. “But…yeah.”

“How’d you end up here, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“How’d _you_ end up here?” she countered.

“That’s…a complex story.”

“Oh, ok then,” she teased. “Because I was thinking it was going to be suuuper simple. Just, you know, wanted a vacation in a magical world of wonder and whimsy.”

She couldn’t tell if Nicholas appreciated the semi-mocking tone, but she decided it was fun to rile him up anyway. He did have a shadow of a smile as he answered with a sigh.

“To put it simply, we’re attempting to attain a body for my…For my friend.” His face went through a full range of emotions at the word. “It’s a ritual of my own creation, though it’s heavily modified off of a…path my father once went down.” Even more emotions at the word _father_. “We listen to the radio, listen to the…weirdness on the radio. Well, sometimes it’s weirdness, sometimes it’s just static. Depends. We drive; purify ourselves, and hopefully, a ready-to-fill body will be waiting for us at the end of it.”

A beat of silence settled between them. The Clerk was curious about the whole _my friend_ thing and if he genuinely thought that was all there was to it, but she had never been good at that kind of social interaction. So, instead, she asked a question that seemed less awkward, if more dangerous.

“Is your dad Michael Waters?”

Nicholas made an obvious effort to swallow his emotions. “Was. He’s dead now. I killed him. Well, I killed him again.” He bit his lip. “Hopefully that doesn’t make you think less of me.”

Despite his effort at a casual tone, she could tell he was worried. She assumed Nicholas didn’t have a lot of people around him, back home. He probably wasn’t used to people liking him. She could relate.

“No,” she said. “From everything I heard, he was _awful_.”

“He genuinely was,” Nicholas agreed. “Did you know him, or…?”

“No.” The Clerk sighed. Nicholas may come across as a stuck-up prep without emotions, but there was more to him. And she hadn’t had a chance to verbalize her story a lot. And he’d shared first. “You really want to hear it?”

Nicholas gave her a kind, calm look. “If you want to tell me.”

_You know what? Why not?_

“I’ll keep this quick,” she began. “I was a musicologist, got curious about things people shouldn’t get curious about, learned that music was real, thought I was _really_ cool for knowing that; then I got obsessed with something called the godssong.” She continued her story, her search for the godssong that became an obsession. “I think the godssong is perfect,” she finished. “It’s the one truly transcendent song.”

Once she got talking, it soon stopped feeling weird. Nicholas had a clear genuine interest, and he was making an effort not to make this awkward for her, which she could appreciate. This wasn’t the sort of bonding experience that came naturally to him, as far as she could tell. He asked the questions of someone who cared about what she had to say about her experience.

She was surprised to find she really didn’t dislike him. Somewhere while she was sharing, she realized she may have judged Nicholas too soon based on his limited people skills, and …well, that hadn’t been entirely fair.

It was a long time since someone cared enough to try and correct her initial perception of them. It was…not unwelcome, to see someone extend an effort for her.

“In your research, did you ever get a sense of what it sounded like?” Nicholas asked. “Any idea? Not the exact thing, but…”

“I had…theories. Obviously I wasn’t there yet, but…I was close.”

“Could you…play it?” He sounded kind of shy about the question. “What you thought it could be?”

To her surprised, the Clerk was kind of excited to be asked. To be given the chance to share it with someone who might understand the strange, urgent drive that got her here.

“I…It’s been a while. But I can try. Here.” She re-tuned the instrument in preparation. “You ready?”

“Yeah.”

She hesitated, hands on the instrument, the music vibrating in her fingers and her throat, about to start playing when –

Static Man’s very loud rendition of Mambo Nr. 5 burst into the silence. “A little bit of Monica in my life, a little bit of Erica by my side!” His form emerged from inside and stared at them for a second before he broke out laughing. “Sorry, sorry! Really. I just couldn’t resist. I heard you talking and it was just…it was too funny to pass up! I’m sorry, I really am.”

The Clerk and Nicholas stared at Static Man for a long moment, and the Clerk couldn’t help herself; she laughed. After a second or two, Nicholas and Static Man joined in. She hadn’t heard Nicholas laugh before; it suited him.

“How long were you listening?” she asked Static Man through her chuckling.

“A bit. Enough to hear about the godssong.” His mirth sobered a little. “And like, I really do want to hear it, you’re a really wonderful musician. I’m sorry.”

“No, it was funny!” she assured him. “I’ve been obsessed with this song for years and it’s…You know what? I am fine saying that the most perfect song in all of existence is Mambo Nr. 5 by Lou Bega. There, my life’s quest is finished!”

Nicholas’s smile gentled. “I would actually love to hear you play, though.”

“Honestly? I can’t get Mambo Nr. 5 out of my head…so maybe later?”

He hook his head and threw Static Man an irritated but fond look. “God, me neither. “Static Man, I am so excited for you to get a new body, because then I will be able to punch you in the face.”

He smiled as he said it, and it took every ounce of self-control the Clerk possessed not to make a joke about the many _other_ things Nicholas wanted to do once Static Man got a new body. She was proud of her silence.

“Guys, I’m sorry!” Static Man laughed. “It’s stuck in my head, too! And hey, I could have gone with “Somebody Once Told Me”, would you have liked that? Would All Star by Smash Mouth been better?”

They all broke out laughing again, Static Man not-so-subtly moving closer to Nicholas until his static form created noticeable goose bumps across Nicholas’s arm, and the sorcerer didn’t even seem to consider moving away. If anything, he was leaning _into_ the contact.

Maybe them staying here and sharing her shitty spare room wasn’t the worst thing in the world. Maybe these adorable idiots were becoming a bit less stupid.

Either way, the Clerk thought, it was entertaining to watch.

*

“I just, I can’t get over how cute this little thing is.” Static Man leaned over the instrument. It’s _so_ cute!”

“Do you think it’s almost ready?” Nicholas asked.

The Clerk considered for a moment. “Eh, it’s getting close.”

“Awwwww, you’re almost ready!” Static Man cooed. “You hear that, little guy?”

“How did you learn how to…plant an instrument, by the way?” Nicholas asked. Static Man was impressed he’d managed to hold the question in this long. “That’s genuinely fascinating.”

“It was in the repair manual,” she replied. “I made some modifications but…this is all in the Moody’s handbook.”

Well, that was even more boring than Static Man expected. “Did you give him a name yet?” he asked, because that was much more interesting.

“No,” the Clerk replied with her standard dryness. “It’s an instrument.”

“But everything except for this is ready, correct?” Nicholas asked. He was on edge – he hated being on the sidelines, unable to do anything useful. “You don’t need any –”

“No, I’m good,” the Clerk informed him for the hundredth time.

Static Man kept looking at the growing instrument, but inside his teeth and not-stomach were churning. There was something he wanted to ask, but…Oh, to hell with it, this was as good of an opportunity as anything.

“Hey, so…” Static Man fought through his awkward feelings. “A few nights ago…you mentioned that you used to make bodies?”

The Clerk and Nicholas both looked at him– one with curiosity and one with concern. He focused on the less scary one.

“Uh, yes,” she replied. “I researched it. Where is this going?”

“Oh, I was just wondering if any sound sort of…rejected their new bodies?” Okay, it didn’t sound as smooth and casual as he’d planned, but it was also less angsty than he’d feared, so.

“I wouldn’t know,” the Clerk said carefully. “Didn’t really get _too_ in-depth. But…maybe? Souls and bodies are pretty intertwined.”

Static Man could feel Nicholas’s eyes on him. “You doing alright, Static Man?”

He wished Nicholas’s obvious concern didn’t make him feel so much. Somehow it made it scarier, knowing he cared? Which made the whole body-concern scarier, too. What if Static Man’s new body rejected him and he lost himself entirely? What if he just went nowhere, became…nothing?

What if something went wrong with his new body that meant he would never see Nicholas again? Nicholas would bury himself in guilt.

“Yeah, yeah,” Static Man tried with _some_ conviction. “I’m good. Just thinking about some stuff.” He turned his attention back to the budding instrument, pretending he didn’t care how transparent his change of subject was. “But, don’t worry little guy, you’re still cute! Yes, you are!” He gave the Clerk a sheepish smile. “Yo, when this is over, can I keep the instrument?”

“No,” she replied, unsurprisingly. “No. Sorry, but…that’s going to be mine.”

“Oh, yeah, totally,” Static Man said, playing up his disappointment.

“You can watch it grow, though. We still have a couple days.”

“Yeah.” Static Man kept staring at the growing adorableness, pretending he couldn’t feel the still worried gaze of Nicholas on him.

The Clerk kept working a while longer under their curious gazes. Static Man noticed her eyes flickering between himself and Nicholas, and something like frustration and amusement kept colouring her expression.

The Clerk stood and stretched, seemingly to come to a decision. “You know, I have a bottle of tequila lying around here somewhere. I didn’t want to drink it alone, but it seems a shame to waste an opportunity to share it with halfway decent company.”

“Aww, I knew you liked us!” Static Man teased.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Nicholas sounded hesitant. In all the time they’d known each other, Static Man hadn’t seen Nicholas consume more than the occasional half glass of wine.

He had to admit, the idea of booze allowing Nicholas to loosen up a little wasn’t unwelcome. Especially considering Static Man couldn’t get drunk himself.

“What better time to party then when we have nothing else to do but wait, dude?” Static Man encouraged. “I say bring the tequila!”

The Clerk didn’t wait for Nicholas to object, and was already heading into the kitchen area. Static Man gestured for Nicholas to follow her first. He didn’t move, and he was chewing on his lip.

“Come on, Nicholas,” Static Man said. “You deserve to remove the fucking world from your shoulders once in a while. And it’s just the three of us. Not like you’re gonna end up running naked across Time’s Square. Let go a little!”

Nicholas still didn’t look convinced, but he nodded and follow the Clerk into the kitchen, albeit like he was fighting the stick up his ass every step of the way.

Static Man’s teeth clacked with excitement.

This was gonna be fun.

*

Nicholas only stumbled a little bit making his way upstairs to the bedroom, and he didn’t have to sprint directly to the bathroom, which led him to conclude he was holding his liqueur a lot better than he’d anticipated.

His head swam a bit and the unpleasant aftertaste of tequila and lime coated the inside of his mouth, but it could have been worse. In fact, he worried it would be worse when the Clerk suggested it. That’s why he sat quietly most of the evening, watching his intake and listening to Static Man and the Clerk argue over pop culture things he didn’t understand. Well, at first. The “watching his intake” part retired early.

“You okay, dude?” Static Man hovered next to Nicholas as if worried he might tip over. Nicholas was both charmed and infuriated by that.

“I’m fine,” he insisted. “Just bemusing the fact that I don’t need to vomit.”

Static Man chuckled under his non-breath and moved to crash on the bed, stretched out from pillow to foot-end like a territorial cat. After washing his face in the bathroom sink and rinsing out the lime-taste, Nicholas lay down on top of the covers on his side of the bed. His head spun enough to not risk changing out of his jeans.

He stared up at the ceiling for a bit, listening if Static Man’s fizzling energy faded into a sleeping, softer white noise. The sound didn’t change. Nicholas decided it wouldn’t be rude to start a conversation.

“Were you having a good time tonight?”

“Huh?” Static Man snapped out of his thoughts. “Oh, yeah, for sure. The Clerk knows how to have a good time, even if her opinion on classic late nineties rom-coms is shit. Why do you ask?”

Nicholas wasn’t certain how to answer. It wasn’t like Static Man had facial expressions to read or body language to interpret, so Nicholas didn’t know how to explain that he’d known Static Man felt more emotionally turbulent tonight than he let on.

“Yo, Nick, did you fall asleep?” Static Man called when too much time passed without an answer.

“I’m not sure how you do it,” Nicholas said. The spinning in his head seemed to have extended to his tongue.

“What, have fun?” Static Man snorted. “Yeah, I kinda knew that.”

“No, not that. I mean, how do you manage to act happy and relaxed when something’s bothering you?” Okay, Nicholas was certain he had _not_ meant to say that.

For a long moment, Static Man didn’t speak and Nicholas didn’t move. When Static Man replied, the teasing, light tone was gone.

“Come on, Nicholas. You know how to manage that. You’re more of an expert than I am.”

It didn’t even occur to him to deny that. “I’m never able to smile and joke like you, though! Maybe I don’t project my true feelings but that doesn’t mean anyone thinks I’m being _cheerful_.” He turned over on his side, propped up on his elbow. “How do you do _that_?”

Static Man’s teeth seemed to shudder a bit before they started clacking together like the bristling hairs of a cat. “Guess my baseline setting is more set to _friendly_ than yours.”

His tone was defensive now. Nicholas hadn’t meant to upset him. He didn’t know how to explain or make it better, so he said nothing and focused looking at a spot on the mattress between them.

“How did you know something was bothering me?” Static Man asked, startling Nicholas into answering truthfully.

“I could just tell.”

Silence. “Huh.”

There was another long pause. This time Nicholas didn’t think he could wait it out. He’d already screwed up he might as well go all in.

“Are you okay?” Nicholas asked before he could talk himself out of it. The spinning was starting to slow faster than he wanted it to. The dizziness made it all seem less frightening.

“What?”

“The thing bothering you tonight. I assume it’s to do with what you asked earlier, about a body rejecting the soul? I know you don’t want to talk about it but I want to check if you’re…okay.”

Static Man’s form shifted into itself a little, teeth rushing to the forefront like forming a shield between himself and Nicholas. “It’s not a big deal, really. It’s just, you know, if we do get me a body, I have a feeling we’re not getting a do-over if something goes wrong, you know? So I wonder about it sometimes.”

Even now, he was still trying to sound more casual than he felt. Something about that made Nicholas move an inch or two closer to Static Man’s side of the bed. Static Man didn’t move away, still working on the act. There wasn’t ever this little space between them, unless they were asleep or pretending to be.

Nicholas’s head felt clearer by the second, but he had to take advantage of the last bit of liquid courage to ease Static Man’s fear, even if he wasn’t supposed to notice it in the first place. “You know I’m not going to jeopardize your safety, right?” He spoke in a rush. “I’m getting you a body, but it is going to be safe and comfortable, with zero risk of you losing yourself trying to get inside it.”

“Nicholas–” Static Man started, but Nicholas couldn't stop there.

“No, I know the risk is losing a limb, but I’m not compromising your safety for anything less than what you want. You deserve to be happy and whole, and I’m never going to stop trying until I give it to you. I’m not going to risk losing you for anything less than you deserve.”

Nicholas hadn’t expected to end up where he did, but it was there now. His head was clear enough that he couldn’t even play it off as a drunken mistake. The words were still written in the air between them.

It surprised him. Deep down, Nicholas expected it would be Static Man who broke their unspoken agreement to _not talk_ about…all the thousand moments they didn’t talk about. They were both guilty of ignoring it for their own reasons, but if anyone was going to be brave enough to start the conversation, it had to be Static Man. The daring one. The one who could string words together without embarrassing himself and saying more than he meant to.

“I know,” Static Man said into the silence. “I trust you, I know you won’t stop trying or let me get hurt. I don’t think you’d even know _how_ to stop. But it’s not just what might happen to _me_ that’s got me worrying.”

Nicholas blinked. _I trust you._ He hadn’t expected… “Then what are you worried about?”

“Don’t do that.” Static Man seemed to reverberate closer to Nicholas. “Don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about, and then I pretend I don’t know what _you_ ’re talking about and we just go to sleep.”

Nicholas didn’t want to, but... “Why not?” he whispered. “Isn’t that what we always do? There must be a reason for that.”

“The reason is we never got you drunk enough to say shit like that before, and we’re both big fucking cowards.”

Nicholas wasn’t certain which of them moved. He felt the pins and needles from Static Man’s electricity against the exposed skin on his arms. Against his forehead. His cheeks. His chest.

It was like being surrounded by white noise. Pleasant, soothing. The pins and needles turned into a gentle vibration that reminded Nicholas oddly of the sensation of a massage chair. He leaned into the warm feeling, let himself close his eyes and float in it. Everything about it felt safe and right. It was like…being held.

Nicholas reached out an arm with care and curled it until it hovered around the edges of Static Man’s form, the vibrating feeling extending to crawl down into his fingers and palm. Static Man released a content sigh that had Nicholas tighten his tenuous grasp.

They stayed like that, in the closest semblance of holding each other they had. Neither of them spoke for a long time, enjoying the closeness they normally denied themselves. Nicholas was nearly asleep when Static Man’s voice stirred him.

“We’re not ignoring this tomorrow, are we?” He sounded a little afraid of the answer.

“I like to think we’re finished being cowards,” Nicholas replied. He knew he couldn’t go back to ignoring everything Static Man made him feel. He didn’t think he could stomach going back to _not_ falling asleep like this, nuzzled against a man of static and teeth.

“That would be nice,” Static Man whispered, and Nicholas couldn’t hold back sleep anymore.

*

The change was obvious; even though both of them tried acting like everything was normal whenever the Clerk looked close enough for them to notice. She didn’t make any comments, but inside she allowed herself to be a little proud.

If these two damaged and traumatized idiots were able to break down their walls with each other, it made the Clerk think maybe one day she could learn to feel more like a person again, too. Maybe even follow their example and be vulnerable despite everything they’d been through.

It was a long shot.

Still, it was nice to have someone to be happy for.

*

All three were less enthused than they expected to be, the day the instrument was ready and the car fixed.

The Clerk wasn’t used to liking anyone’s company, or be around someone long enough to get used to their presence. For once it had happened.

Static Man wasn’t good at staying still, yet it had been nice to have something kinda normal for a bit without a life-threatening incident.

Nicholas wasn’t used to feeling comfortable. He enjoyed the Clerk’s silent, sarcastic presence, and not being the one with all the control over the situation. He enjoyed sleeping at night now falling asleep and waking up was better than it had ever been. For a little while, everything had felt quiet and a bit easier, and now it was time to leave it all behind and get back on the road.

Both Nicholas and Static Man had sort of come to love this freaky auto-shop, and the Clerk loved having them there.

It had been nice.

But they had a body to get. Resigned, they all stood in the garage as the Clerk prepared the final reparations.

“And you’re _sure_ we don’t need to do anything?” Nicholas asked for the fourth time.

“No,” the Clerk repeated, as she had all the other times. “Just stand still and be as quiet as you possibly can.”

“Got it,” Static Man whispered. Nicholas admired the Clerk’s self-restraint that she didn’t roll her eyes.

“Ok, so here it goes…” Her whole focus was trained on her strange, grown instrument now resting on the engine of the car. She fiddled with it, tuning it and the engine to the same notes. It was hard to tell what she was doing, but they all seemed to be holding their breaths while she did it.

The Clerk stood back from the engine, instrument in hand.

“Is that…did it work?” Nicholas dared to ask.

The Clerk gave a small shrug and smile. “See if the car starts.”

Obeying, Nicholas got into the driver’s seat and placed the keys in the ignition. “Come on, come on,” he muttered to himself. Now or never. He turned the key.

The car reared to life.

“Oh, hell yeah!” Static Man exclaimed from outside. “Awesome job! Woooo!”

With a grin on his face, Nicholas climbed back out of the car. “Thank you!” he beamed at the Clerk. “Sincerely. Are…Is there anything we can do to repay you?”

She waved it away. “Moody’s doesn’t charge for repairs, for some reason, so…”

“No, I meant, for _you,_ specifically.”

“Yo, why don’t you come with us!” Static Man suggested. “Like, I realize that it’s kinda dangerous and stuff, but Nicholas is _stupid_ powerful, and I can eviscerate people with my teeth, you’ll be totes cool.”

Nicholas refused to acknowledge that the praise made him blush, no matter how warm his face felt.

“No!” The Clerk said. “I’m fine right here.”

“Are you sure?” Nicholas asked.

“Yes.” She met his gaze. “It’s too…I’ll be ok.”

“It’s your decision.”

“Thank you for offering.” She looked between Nicholas and Static Man with a small smile. “Listen…” She headed over to her desk and started rummaging through it. ”When I was planning out my… _voyage_ here, I made a song. Or a ritual. Same thing, really.” She faced them again with a cassette tape in her hand. “This place is big; bigger than you know, and you’ll be driving for a _long_ time if you keep going this way. But if you put this…This cassette into your cassette deck. Your cassette deck works, right?”

“Yes,” Nicholas confirmed, eying the cassette with growing curiosity. He could _feel_ a certain amount of power emanating from it.

“Listen to the song, then you’ll get to the centre of the ritual. It…calls something. A hitchhiker, that’ll take you where you want to go.”

She held out the tape, hand steady despite the uncertainty in her voice. Nicholas started reaching out, but paused.

“Why didn’t you use it, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“I did,” she replied. “I…didn’t go through with it. To the end. I…decided to keep my head down. But…it’s an option. If you want it.”

Nicholas took the cassette, holding it like the precious offering it was. He tried to smile, unsure if it disguised his melancholy. “Thank you.”

“And thank you for everything,” Static Man added. He sounded just as torn as Nicholas felt. “Seriously. This has been really, really cool.”

The Clerk’s smile grew. “Thanks. I don’t get company that often.” They all stood in awkward silence for a moment. It was obvious none of them knew how to do…this.

“Um, anyway,” the Clerk said, avoiding direct eye contact. “You guys have some driving to do.” 

Nicholas had a feeling she was as sorry to see them go as he was about leaving her behind, though she may be as bad as him at showing it. It felt…wrong. He’d grown used to her company. Liked it, even. Static Man did, too. Leaving her behind felt like they were cheating her, somehow. It was also clear they weren’t going to talk her out of staying where she was. Keeping her head down and all.

When she gave them both a significant nod with a tight smile and thumped her fist against the roof of the car, all Nicholas could do was nod back, and get in the car.

Radio static filled the car when he started it, and they pulled out of the lot.

“Bye! Oh, hey, she’s waving!” Static Man waved a best he could, given his form. Nicholas watched the auto shop and the Clerk grow smaller and smaller in the rear-view mirror with a mixture of relief and regret.

“Do you want to…use what she gave us?” he asked Static Man after a moment.

“Oh, hell yeah. Things are comin’ to and end, it’s, like, I have a feeling in my bones, or teeth. How about you?”

Nicholas glanced one final time at the vanishing shape in the mirror. “I…I trust her.”

“Then put it in, dude,” Static Man encouraged.

Nicholas picked up the tape and took a deep breath. This was it. The final leg of their journey. “Alright.”

He pushed in the cassette and hit play.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments brings air to my lungs and joy to my heart, but thanks for reading even if you don't leave those! ♥️
> 
> You can come shriek at me about multiple fandoms on tumblr @raincs and I hope you're being kind and taking care of yourself in these hard times. Did you take your meds today? 😘


	4. 04

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is it; the final stretch of their journey.  
> How will it all end?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Large pieces of dialogue are taken directly from transcripts and I in no way claim to have come up with that awesomeness. I've just added all the stuff I feel they sort of just forgot to add to the actual episodes ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

Static Man woke up lying on the ground of a parking lot. The last thing he remembered was them stopping to pick up the hitch-hiker and…well, something that hurt.

Nicholas stood over him with a concerned look, and moved as if to help him to his feet before remembering that Static Man didn’t have any and could just static himself upward.

He wasn’t a fan of the whole lost-time aspect, but at least Nicholas didn’t look like he’d been mauled or anything. “Uh, what the hell happened?”

“Everything’s alright,” Nicholas said. “Her song worked.”

“Oh. Awesome.” Static Man finally registered their surroundings. “Wait, why are we in the Diner’s parking lot? Yo, if we’re all the way back–”

“No, we’re where we need to be.” He sounded too confident for there to be any doubt. “Come on.”

Nicholas slowly led the way towards the Diner’s front doors. Static Man made a choice and reached out and wrapped a static not-hand around Nicholas’s. He felt Nicholas squeeze it like he was grateful for it. That was…nice.

“Did everything go okay with the hitch-hiker?” Static Man asked. “Like, you didn’t have to sell your soul or anything?”

“Don’t worry, we’re alright.”

Static Man was definitely going to keep worrying, but he took Nicholas’s word for it. They stepped through the front doors and entered the familiar sights and sounds of the diner. They stopped before the even more familiar face awaiting them.

“Hello and welcome to Moody’s Family Friendly Diner and Eatery, where we promise to treat you like the family we never had.” The Clerk gave Nicholas a significant, sympathetic look. “I believe your party is…waiting for you. Would you follow me?”

“Yeah, thanks for the…For everything,” Nicholas said.

“Don’t mention it.”

She led them over to the only occupied table in the place. A woman was sat in a chair, holding a bundle in her arms. The bundle stirred, and Static Man was happy he didn’t have a face to give away his horrified surprise.

The thing in her arms…the _child_ in the woman’s arms…it didn’t have a face. The woman gazed down with all the devotion of a mother looking at her baby, like she didn’t even notice the gaping vortex where a face should be.

“Mom?” Nicholas asked. His voice was only barely trembling. Static Man couldn’t imagine how much self-restraint that took.

The baby let out a mewling, shrieking sound that grated on the ears, and the woman rocked the bundle gently back and forth. “It’s alright,” she cooed down at it. “It’s alright, my beautiful boy, there there. It’s okay.” She looked up at Nicholas, and all the fondness vanished from her gaunt face. “You are not my son. _This_ is my son. He’s my handsome young man and you are not going to take him away from me.”

Another howling squeal came from the child. Static Man had to clamp down on the urge to drag Nicholas out of here and take him far away from this place, from this woman and her cold, distant look. This was going to hurt, and Static Man didn’t know how to make it better. Didn’t think he really _could_ make it better. All he could do was send a zap of static up through Nicholas’s fingers to remind him that he was there.

“Dude, are you okay?”

“I’ll…We should sit down.” He cleared his throat. “Uhm, I’m not sure what to call you,” he said to the woman.

“Call me whatever you’d like, as long as you _don’t_ call me mother.” Her expression turned from affronted to cordial with no in between. “And yes, sit down.”

They both sat down opposite to the woman and her swathed child. She pressed him closer to her chest. The Clerk lingered nervously by the table.

“Can I get you…hepcats anything?” she asked dutifully.

“Some meat, if you have it,” said the woman. “My beautiful boy is growing; he needs his fuel.” The child wailed as if in confirmation.

“Any…particular meat you’d like?”

“Whatever you have,” she said, like she was accepting Pepsi in substitute for a Coke.

“Sure. And you guys?”

“I’m alright,” Nicholas said, his voice tight.

“Yeah, I’m not that hungry.” Static Man would definitely feel less uncomfortable if he had a meal to distract him, but this was a time to focus.

“I’ll be right back with your…unspecified meat.”

She walked away, and a tense silence fell over the table. Nicholas took a deep breath and focused all his attention on the woman that was not his mother. Static Man released his hand, despite his actual urge to wrap all his teeth around Nicholas to protect him from the pain he _knew_ Nicholas felt looking at his…not-mother.

But Nicholas didn’t need his protection, Static Man knew.

_He’s got this_.

_*_

“So…if you’re not my mother…who exactly are you? If you don’t mind me asking.”

He couldn’t help fall back on his practiced polite and courteous behaviour. Maybe this _wasn’t_ his mother, but she looked exactly like the woman who had taught Nicholas how it was polite to behave in conversation. He had to keep doing what he was taught. How else was he supposed to be able to say anything?

“I am the one who has given birth do your half-brother,” said the woman who wasn’t his mother. She looked down at the bundle in her eyes. “Say hello, my beautiful boy.”

Nicholas looked down into the empty hole where the baby’s face ought to be. The child let out shrieking howls, and the sight hurt Nicholas’s insides, but he didn’t look away.

“Hello,” he said softly to the bundle. “He is…beautiful. But his cheeks…”

“Oh yes. Sometimes when he’s in a particularly bad mood, he gouges himself.”

“Ah.” Nicholas swallowed the bile rising in his throat. “And I assume my father wasn’t able to…use this particular body for his own ends?”

“No. No, he was not.” She gazed adoringly down at her baby. “He created me, as an echo of someone he knew, formed from the clay and asphalt of this place; the energies. He created me to give birth to a hollow child, that he could fill with himself when he needed to. But my beautiful, handsome son wasn’t hollow. Were you?”

The child shrieked horribly in response to his mother’s coos.

“No, you weren’t.” She kept looking at him with so much love it stung. “You were filled with your mother’s love. Your dad said you were corrupt and broken, but you weren’t, were you? My handsome young man. He just couldn’t take him because I loved him too much.” Her eyes flickered up to Nicholas with renewed fire. “And _you_ are not going to take my beautiful boy away from me! I know what you want to do; you want to fill him up with your disgusting friend here. You want to use him, like he was just a piece of meat. But he’s my beautiful boy and I love him.”

The hollow child mewled and squirmed in his mother’s arms. She tightened her hold, ran a hand fondly across his head, and the squirming stopped.

“If you try and take him away from me,” she continued, “I will gouge out your eyes and pour salt on your gaping wounds. And then my son will take parts from you so he can grow big and strong. Do you understand, Nicholas Waters?”

Nicholas forced his gaze away from the child and the mother, ignoring the way his eyes stung. The Clerk walked up to the table, and he focused on her as a distraction while he got his breathing under control, clenching and unclenching his fists under the table. He had to stay calm. He had to.

“Here’s your…meat.” The Clerk put down a plate piled high. “I hope bacon’s fine. I brought…a lot of it.”

“It’s perfect.” The mother put the plate down on the empty seat next to her, and eased her child down beside it. Nicholas had to look away when the hollow child started consuming the meat. He turned and looked at the Clerk. She looked at him with mournful sympathy.

“So… _this_ is the body you were…” She trailed off.

“Yes.” Nicholas felt sick. He should have known, shouldn’t he? His father poisoned everything. Of course that would extend to this. “But I’m sure we can come to some sort of…understanding.”

“Yo, are we _sure_ about that?” Static Man asked.

Nicholas finally allowed himself to look at him. He’d avoided it, not wanting to make him more worried than he probably was. “Static Man?”

“I mean, no offence to the…echo of your mother? Not really sure what’s going on there, and have I said your dad’s creepy as hell, because–”

“I’m aware,” Nicholas said tiredly.

“But I think we could probably, uh, let’s say finish the ritual, if we wanted to.”

The child howled again, a shriek that drew Nicholas’s attention back to it just as it inhaled the remainder of the bacon.

“No, no, don’t cry.” the child’s mother begged before returning her glower to Nicholas. “You’re not going to take my beautiful boy! I won’t let you! I will die before I let you touch one hair on his perfect head.”

Nicholas forced the pain down. He couldn’t bring himself to look at Static Man, so he kept his eyes glued to the table. He didn’t know how to do this.

“Static Man…if you want to–” He got cut off before he had to finish the sentence.

“Listen, we’ve been through a lot, okay?” Static Man said. “We’ve listened to that weird radio, and a trucker tried to run us down, and there was a freakin’ Tim Curry junk salesman and…I want a body again.”

Nicholas swallowed. “Are you sure?”

After a moment, Static Man whispered. “No.” His shape vibrated closer to Nicholas as if on instinct. “And definitely not like this. And no offence, I definitely don’t want to be stuffed into your half-brother’s body.”

Nicholas nearly sagged with relief, and he hated himself for it. Yet he couldn’t help but feel glad that the man he loved didn’t want to take the body of a baby who happened to he his half brother. That just might have broken him.

“He’s not exactly Tom Hardy,” Static Man added, and Nicholas could hear the attempted smile in his voice. Always trying to make the impossible easier to deal with. “But we have to come back with, like, some _body_. Like, that’s part of the ritual?”

“Or we lose a random limb, yes.”

“So–”

“Stop talking!” The woman who wasn’t his mother raised her voice so it rang in their ears. “Stop talking like my beautiful boy isn’t there! Like he’s just a tool you can use to get what you want.”

The hollow child shrieked, and Nicholas felt it in the pit of his stomach. “I’m sorry.”

“No, no, I know things,” she said. “I was born in this place and I’m not going to let you leave, even if you just leave right now I will curse you but if you try and take my son I will curse you more; you are my enemies and I hate you.” She threw the words at him with biting venom. “I _hate_ you with every bone in my body, I will…You will see someone that looks exactly like your mother die a horrible death. You won’t like that, will you?”

It hurt; it hurt more than he knew how to handle, to hear those words coming from the shape of his mother. He wanted to let it slide off of him, to stay in control of the situation. After everything his father had done, and Chris losing, his mother was the last family member he had no memory of rejecting him.

Hearing her voice filled with so much hatred towards hum, it felt like stones in his stomach and his very skin seemed to ache trying to maintain the mask of decency that he had learned to keep so well. That his _mother_ had taught him to keep when he didn’t know what else to do. He couldn’t break now, couldn’t let his feelings take over, but…he had to do _something_. He couldn’t just leave it like this.

This couldn’t be all there was.

“Static Man,” Nicholas asked with his head still bowed. “Can you…do what you did last time in the diner?”

“Wait, seriously?”

Nicholas finally managed to look at him with pleading eyes. “Yes.”

“I mean…your call.” He moved out of the booth and over to the old jukebox. Nicholas almost changed his mind and asked him to come back, but he had to do this. He had to do…something.

“Where is he going?” asked the woman who wasn’t his mother. “Because if this–”

“Don’t worry, m…” he caught himself and trailed off. “Don’t worry.”

The sputtery and strange sounds of Moody Marvin came from the machine on the wall. The Clerk looked between Static Man and Nicholas.

“Hey, don’t–”

“Don’t worry.” Nicholas gave her what he hoped was a reassuring nod.

“Is this a trick? Because if this is–” the woman who wasn’t his mother looked at him with confused suspicion. He supposed he couldn’t blame her.

“It’s not a trick.” Nicholas stood from his seat. “Come dance with me. If you don’t, well. I wasn’t quite clear on that point, but we’ll all probably die horribly. So, come dance with me.”

“I…” She stared up at him.

“Come on,” Nicholas said gently. He held his hand out, patiently hovering at a respectful distance from the woman. Each second he waited felt excruciating, but finally the woman ran a loving hand over her child’s head, still picking at the remaining meat on the plate, and she put her hand in his. He tried not to think about how her skin felt exactly like his mother’s.

Moody Marvin’s crackling voice rang out with disturbing enthusiasm from the jukebox. _“Now this is a slow dance, so I hope you’re holding your dance partner close! Remember; you had better d-dance or I might get eeeeveeen moooooodiiiieeeeerrr. Now, let’s listen to a song from wayback! It’s Diane Wayne George with…Always and Forever!”_

Nicholas tried not to shake when he places his hand on the waist of the woman who wasn’t his mother. The music started and Nicholas gently started swaying their bodies side to side in the closest approximation of dancing he could manage.

“Why are you–”

“It’s alright,” he assured her with more calm than he felt. “Just…follow my lead.”

The music played, and Nicholas held onto the hand and waist of the woman and tried not to wonder how it was possible that she even smelled like his mother, too. Her likeness in every way. His father really had been too powerful.

“Your father wasn’t a dancer,” she said suddenly. “Or…that’s what your mother’s memories tell me. I have some of them.”

Nicholas swallowed against the lump in his throat. “Huh. I didn’t know that. I guess I…inherited his two left feet.” Even more similarities between him and the man he despised. As if sensing his distress, the woman in his arms squeezed his hand, and it opened something inside him that he couldn’t stop.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I know you’re not _her,_ and I know you…But you look exactly like her. And I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I should have visited you when I had the chance. I should have said goodbye, but I didn’t because I was scared and I…”

And then he couldn’t anymore. Nicholas’s mask of politeness slipped away and the tears began to fall. It just hurt too much. He missed his mother and the easy way she would understand him, and he’d failed her. And now he had failed Static Man, too. He wasn’t able to get him a body, and more than anything Nicholas wished he could lean on his mother for comfort. She’d been the only one who never expected Nicholas to be more than he was. TO be better at being a person. She used to be good at saying the right thing to stop him crying, but all he had now was the memories and an imitation.

“There, there…” The woman who wasn’t his mother moved her hand from his shoulder and gently wiped at the tears on his cheek. “It’s alright.”

“I’m sorry, mom.” He looked at her with pleading eyes. “I’m sorry. I always took you for granted and then you…I just miss you so much.”

“It’s alright,” she cooed. “It’s alright.” She wiped her thumb beneath his eye and smiled. “It’s…It’s a good song, isn’t it?”

Nicholas closed his eyes and breathed. When he opened them, he had just enough control to give her a small smile in return. “It is.”

*

Static Man watched Nicholas dance with the woman who wasn’t his mother, and if he had a body, his heart would be in his throat. He could see the tears glinting in Nicholas’s eyes, and eventually spilling down his cheeks, and he was so _proud_ of him.

He was proud of Nicholas for allowing himself this moment; even if it _was_ to try and get the woman to let them leave, it would still leave him hurting so much once they’d left this place. But it would also help, Static Man thought. Nicholas so rarely let his feelings out like that, let himself be sad fully and just let go. Here he was, letting himself cry while dancing with an imitation of his mother.

It just reminded Static Man how much he wanted Nicholas to be okay, to feel safe and loved enough to let that well-preserved guard down when he needed it. That felt even more important now, knowing how much Nicholas would blame himself for leaving here without giving Static Man a body.

As the song came to a close, Nicholas and the woman who wasn’t his mother slowed until they stopped entirely. They remained where they were as if frozen by the silence.

“That was…” The woman trailed of as the spooky sounds of Moody Marvin chimed out of the jukebox. They all stood in tense silence as they waited for the verdict.

“…dancing was…good! G—great job! You get a ff-freee coupon for a Moody’s Family Friendly cola carbonated beverage; congrats! To receive your free…”

Moody faded out. Static Man caught the Clerk’s shoulders sagging with relief, but his main focus stayed glued to Nicholas and the woman.

“I liked that,” she said. The way she looked at Nicholas was still that gentle, familial look that had taken over from the hostile anger. He preferred this look, but he could still make out Nicholas’s shaking, and the wet tracks on his cheeks.

“I liked that, too.” Nicholas held the mother’s hands between them. “Now, you can trust me, right?”

“Of course,” she said sweetly. “Of course I can. You wouldn’t do anything to hurt me. You’re such a nice young man.”

Static Man was reminded of one of his early conversations with Nicholas, about how he was calculating when he needed something. That hadn’t changed in the years they worked together, but now Static Man knew – it came with a cost, and Nicholas always paid it.

“Ok.” Nicholas gave her a small smile, but Static Man saw the tightness in it, the strain to maintain it. “Because we’re going to leave, and I don’t want any curses or…anything bad to happen to us.”

“Of course not!” the mother exclaimed. “How could you say that? I would never. You’re my son’s brother.”

Nicholas led them back to their table, and the child started mewling and shrieking as they got close.

“See?” the mother gazed fondly down at the child. “He likes you.”

Nicholas chuckled but it sounded…so sad. “That’s good to hear. Now, come on, let’s sit back down.”

As the mother picked up her hollow child again, Static Man returned to the seat next to Nicholas. He could sense him shaking, and without hesitating he reached out his staticy form and wrapped a semblance of a grip around Nicholas’s hand. Even without the distinct physicality, he felt Nicholas cling back the best he could. Felt him lean against Static Man’s side, and again he was proud of him – this time for accepting support.

“You…okay, dude?” Static Man asked.

“I’m alright,” Nicholas lied. “Actually, if we could have some water…?”

The Clerk was already placing a tray of glasses on the table. “Got some waters. Anything else I can help you with?”

“Actually…” Nicholas paused. Static Man could practically hear his gears turning. “We need a body to come back with us, to the quote unquote real world, or we lose a random limb. I would prefer not to lose a random limb, and if you’re willing, you’re more than welcome to come with us.”

A silent beat passed. “I’m not…going to get hollowed out and–” the Clerk asked.

“No. The ritual didn’t say anything about an empty body, just a _new_ body. And I believe you qualify.”

The Clerk swallowed, eyes flickering out the window before returning to Nicholas. “Do I have to swear fealty to you? Because…I would do that.”

Static Man could relate to that instinct. Once you caught a glimpse of the real person beneath Nicholas’s awkwardness and bluster, it was hard not to love what you saw, hard not to see that all he did wasn’t _just_ because he was curious, but because he cared.

“You can decide that later. But if you’re worried about employment, I’m sure we can arrange something.”

“Yes,” the Clerk said without hesitation. “Yes. The trucker isn’t following, or…?”

“No, we’re safe.” Nicholas looked at her with a steady gaze, utterly confident. “We’re just going to leave.”

The Clerk nodded. She ran a hand nervously through her hair – the first time she’d ever physically let her feelings show. “Okay, then…I can do that. Yeah, I’d…I’d like that. I’d like that a lot.”

“Wonderful.” Nicholas looked down again. “Static Man, I…”

The sigh he gave was so sad and tired. “It’s fine,” he replied quickly.

“No, it’s not. I’m sorry; I promised you we would get you a body.”

“No, no, you…You tried, dude. And…we can always try again.” Static Man tried to force some cheerfulness into his voice. “And, you know, I’m the whisper on the wind; that’s cool. I’m cool. I am.”

They both knew Static Man wasn’t cool with not getting a body. They also both knew that Nicholas would never stop trying to make it happen, and there was no way Nicholas wouldn’t despise himself for this failed attempt. Static Man wished he knew how to explain that he would wait as long as he had to as long as Nicholas stuck around.

Nicholas got a thoughtful look as he looked up at the Clerk. “You know something about crafting bodies, correct?”

“Yeah, a little,” she said, surprised.

He nodded, turning his gaze back to the beings across the table. “We have options. That aren’t using _this_ body.”

The child mewled in his mother’s arms.

“Yeah,” Static Man agreed. “I don’t…Yeah.”

“So…mom, unless there’s anything else?”

The child’s mother looked up at them like she only just remembered they were there. “Are you leaving so soon?”

“I think it’s most likely for the best,” Nicholas said. He spoke with the kindness one might show to an easily spooked animal.

“Well, come and visit, if you can.” She smiled at him. “We’ll miss you.”

The hollow child shrieked the same as before, and Static Man did his best to hold Nicholas’s hand tighter as his eyes filled with pain as he looked at the child.

“I’ll…Bye, brother.” Nicholas stood from his seat as the child howled. “Come on, let’s go.”

“Thank you,” said the mother, as they moved towards the exit with the Clerk behind them. “For letting me keep my beautiful boy.”

Nicholas let out a deep, exhausted sigh, and the three of them walked out of the diner, where the car stood parked in the lot.

They all froze just past the door, though, as they saw what else was currently occupying the parking-lot.

“Holy shit. It’s those little antler-rabbit things?” There at least two dozen of them.

“Should we be worried?” Nicholas asked the Clerk.

“No. They’re harmless.” She folded her arms in front of her and looked between them awkwardly. “And…my name is Morgan, so, uh…call me that.”

Nicholas gave her a small smile. “Morgan it is.”

She turned back to the rabbit-things. “I haven’t seen this many in one place, though.”

“Yo, you _did_ run over one,” Static Man pointed out. “So if they’re, like, taking revenge, we should–” He was interrupted by the sound of a beautiful, haunting singing that couldn’t come from anywhere but the rabbits. “Yo, what are they–”

“Shhh,” Morgan cut him off, and he didn’t have to be told twice.

The three of them stood in the parking lot and listened to the lovely music that came from the creatures. The melody was sad, melancholy, and sounded like an ending.

“So are we cool to just…leave?” Static Man asked once the music faded.

“I…believe we are.” Nicholas didn’t sound entirely convinced, but the things weren’t making any moves against them, so…

“Any idea why they…?”

“None,” Morgan replied.

They watched as the antlered rabbits started hopping back towards wherever they came from. “Come on.” Nicholas led them towards their parked car.

“I call shotgun!” Static Man declared.

“Seriously?” Morgan rolled her eyes.

“Dude, I called it. There are three people now, and I want shotgun.”

Next to the car, Nicholas stopped. He made no move to open any doors. Morgan gave him a questioning look, but Static Man just waited, giving Nicholas space to think.

“Actually, I, uh…I just need a minute, before we go. I apologize.” Nicholas didn’t look at either of them as he moved tensely until he was hidden from their view around the back of the car.

Morgan looked after him with understanding, then she turned and gave Static Man a meaningful look. “I’ll get comfortable back here with all the mess. Why don’t you…”

She nodded towards the back, and Static Man didn’t need telling twice. As she climbed into the back seat, he followed Nicholas. He found him leaning against the back of the car, looking at nothing. Static Man just stayed there beside him, waiting.

After a long moment, Nicholas finally turned to face him. If Static Man had a heart, it would be breaking. There were wet streaks running down Nicholas’s face and he looked so _defeated_. So far removed from the guy who had given the Trucker that speech about how powerful he was. Static Man couldn’t stand to see Nicholas looking like that.

He surged forward and wrapped his form around Nicholas, doing the best he could to hold him as the quiet tears gave way to shaking sobs. The sound of them was muffled by the static, and each tear drop fizzled as they hit the static body around him. Static Man stroke his not-hands firmly up and down Nicholas’s back as he held him together.

“Shhh, shhh,” he murmured into his ear. “Shhh, it’s okay. It’ll be okay, man. It’s all okay.” Maybe that wasn’t true right now, but he had to believe it would be.

“I’m sorry,” Nicholas said into his not-shoulder. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry I couldn’t get you a–”

“No, no, don’t even talk to me about that right now, okay?” Static Man tried to tighten his not-grip. Teeth scraped soothingly against Nicholas’s skin. “You just…Jesus, dude, I can’t even imagine. I am _so_ proud of you for how you handled that. Do you hear me? I’m proud of you.”

They stayed where they were for a long time. Eventually the sobs quieted down, and they were holding each other rather than clinging desperately. Neither was ready to let go.

“I’m not giving up,” Nicholas said when his voice stopped shaking. “You know that, right?”

“On getting me a body?” Static Man felt like smiling. “Yeah, dude. I know. You always keep your word.”

“No, I mean…Well, yes, obviously we’re getting you a body. But what I meant is…I’m not giving _you_ up. If…if you’re okay with it, that is.”

Static Man could have laughed. “Fuck, man. If you think I ever want you to give me up, you’ve got another thing coming. Body or no body, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. You got that?”

A gentle, warm silence enveloped them, and Nicholas took a deep, shuttering breath. “I love you, you know.”

Static Man didn’t feel like he could fly; he felt grounded. Almost…solid. “Yeah, I know. Me too, Nicholas. Me, too.”

They held each other like that for a while longer. If Static Man had a body, this would be the moment they’d kiss. Even if they didn’t get exactly that, it still felt magical.

Eventually, though, they had to keep moving. They untangled from each other and joined Morgan inside the car. She, kindly, didn’t comment on the delay.

“Ready?” Nicholas asked.

“Oh, hell yeah.”

“Yes,” Morgan echoed from the back.

Nicholas turned the key in the ignition, and the car purred to life. They pulled out of the parking-lot and started driving down the far-stretching blacktop. Anticipation filled the car, the air positively buzzing with it. Static Man felt downright giddy.

“Yo, you want to turn the radio on?” he asked with a non-smirk.

Nicholas’s lips pulled up into a small smile. “You know what? I’m alright.”

Static Man could have sworn he heard the song of the antler rabbits pick up again as the car moved steadily down the blacktop, and it felt kinda fitting. None of them were entirely satisfied with what happened here. None of them got what they came to the Blacktop to find.

He couldn’t really manage to feel too broken up about it. He knew he’d get a body eventually. For the first time ever, he had no doubts about that. And for now, he had a man he loved, and an awkward little family sitting in a car in comfortable silence.

For the time being, that was plenty.

**END…?**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments brings air to my lungs and joy to my heart, but thanks for reading even if you don't leave those! ♥️
> 
> You can come shriek at me about multiple fandoms on tumblr @mx-riley and I hope you're being kind and taking care of yourself in these hard times. Did you take your meds today? 😘

**Author's Note:**

> Comments joy to my heart and do wonders for my mental wellbeing, if you want to leave them ♥️
> 
> You can come shriek at me about multiple fandoms on tumblr @mx-riley and I hope you're being kind and taking care of yourself in these hard times. Did you take your meds today? 😘


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